


Operation: Poison Tree Frog

by mundanejester, skittidyne



Category: Persona Series
Genre: Don't Have to Know Canon, Gen, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, Original Cast, Original Character Death(s), Sumerian Mythology - Freeform, bad rhyming, no wild card so igor pitches a very confused fit, original persona "game", traumatic experience waiting to happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-28
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-01-17 09:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 182,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1382434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mundanejester/pseuds/mundanejester, https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittidyne/pseuds/skittidyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new move, a new life. Hisako Fujihara expected big changes, but she did not sign up for her classmates growing horns and getting possessed by an irate, rogue goddess. The long-nosed man and his twin assistants seem helpful enough, but they're distracted by her lack of Wild Card—another new, confusing term that she lumps in with the rest of them. She liked her life better when she didn't have Personas, shadows, Irkalla, or magic in her vocabulary. </p><p>At least rescuing people from the land of the dead is a good way to make new friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marin Karin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a transfer appears and dreams are had.

Friday, April 4th, 2014

…

 

The view was lovely. The girl sighed and leaned her head against the window, watching as the world rushed by. It was so green, with so much open space, and the sky was so vivid. It was a beautiful shade of blue. She closed her eyes.

When she reopened them, the view outside the windows wasn't much more than a hazy bluish-gray. She sat up, puzzled, and looked over at her father—except he wasn't there. Where there should have been seats, there was only space. She found herself in a vast room, draped in rich shades of blue, and she was on the only seat. The blonde girl gave a start; she was not alone.

"Hello," a young woman said politely, coming up behind her and placing a hand on the back of her seat.

"Welcome," added a young man, strikingly similar to the woman. They could have been twins—well, they probably were. They were also _severely_ out of place, pale-skinned and light-haired, contrasting sharply with the dark blues all around them.

"Hello," she replied dumbly. The pair walked past her, their fluidity little unnerving. "Um, I'm sorry… I seem to be lost."

"Not at all! You are supposed to be here."

She jumped again at a voice to her right. Head snapping around, she found a man in a suit—with an absurdly large nose. It was more than a little distracting. She tried her hardest not to stare, and he didn't seem to mind, but it was pretty attention-grabbing, in her defense.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the man said. His tone was warm and civil, though a little… off. She couldn't quite place how. His nose was still distracting her. "My name is Igor, and these are my assistants, Atticus and Octavia."

"I'm—Hisako. Hisako Fujihara."

"Do not be alarmed, you are but in a dream." She wasn't sure if she just looked that nervous or if he could read minds. But, if it truly were a dream, she supposed it didn't particularly matter. Igor continued, "You have been brought here… Perhaps by your restless soul, perhaps by the Fates themselves. But you have been brought here for a very important purpose."

"…Oh?" Unable to help her curiosity, she stood up as Atticus, the male of the pair, beckoned to her. Octavia, on Igor's other side, smiled wanly

Igor didn't look up as she approached; instead, he shuffled through a deck of large cards, and then set three out, face-down, on the table before him. With a wave of his hand, they flipped over by themselves. "Ah, yes. I know these cards well, and they tell the truth to those who listen. Will you be one to truly listen to the cards?" He didn't wait for an answer and instead flicked his wrist. The cards rose into the air, shown off for her. Each had an illustration. Descriptive, but not entirely helpful. She could barely recognize them as tarot cards, let alone what they were supposed to depict. "You have a troubled future, but you may still seek peace."

"What do you mean?" Hisako asked. She wasn't worried, but still curious. Weird dreams were fascinating, especially ones taking place in blue trains with such odd people, she decided.

She just wished it wasn't all happening so fast.

"There will be choices made," Octavia said suddenly. She wasn't smiling anymore; her pale eyes pierced into Hisako's. She fought the urge to shrink away.

"And someone must take responsibility for them," Atticus said, just as quick, making Hisako jump again.

"Everyone will play a part in this, but it appears as if your role will be especially important," Igor patiently explained, drawing the cards back into the deck. "You will soon awaken to a new power, and with that… I wonder. How will you shape the future?"

"Um, you ask an awful lot of rhetorical questions," Hisako replied, puzzled by all of the cryptic words. Igor chuckled, seeming genuinely amused by the remark.

"Perhaps. But a young girl such as yourself… I'm very curious. I hope you'll make the best of this gift," he said. She relaxed a bit at his smile, even if it was a little creepy, but that didn't answer many questions, either.

"I'll try?" she guessed.

Atticus made a sound that maybe, if she imagined hard enough, could have been a laugh. Perhaps.

"You'll awaken to your power, your _Persona_ , soon enough. I, and my assistants, will be here for you in the future, but I'm afraid our time together now is at a close. Until we meet again…" Igor smiled at her again, and Hisako felt an abrupt, hard yank around her middle. She yelped and staggered forward, against it, but the jarring movement came again, and next thing she knew, she was in a heap on the floor.

"Are you alright?" her father asked in surprise.

"Yes." Reddening, Hisako sat back down, smoothing her skirt around her knees. The train gave another jerk, nearly upending her again. The blues were all gone, as was the weird dream. She almost missed it.

"I think we're almost there. Oh, I hope they're not having problems…" Koichi Fujihara murmured. "Ah, I'm sure they'll be fine! I wanted to let you sleep a little while longer, but since we're so close, don't go back to sleep, alright?"

"Yes," Hisako repeated. The view outside the window had changed. There were houses now, power lines, streets, cars, and the sky wasn't so bright anymore. Wait—the sun was lower. Had that much time _really_ passed? It seemed like it had barely been fifteen minutes in that strange blue dream train.

No, not really a train. Just the Velvet Room…

Right?

"Papa, are you nervous about moving?" she asked. She had better things to think about than bizarre dreams, no matter how real it had felt. She wouldn't fall for the easy distraction.

"Me? Oh, no, of course not! The movers will be here tomorrow with the rest of our stuff, but tonight, how about we be lazy? We can sleep wherever we want, order some delicious unhealthy food, and stay up late watching bad movies!" He grinned, proud of these decisions.

Hisako: less impressed. "You're supposed to be eating healthier, remember? The doctors told you to watch your diet."

"Relax," he replied and nudged her with his elbow. "Ma-chan, it's okay to be irresponsible for a little while. Let your father take care of his diet and this move. You don't have to take this so seriously. You'll adjust. You're allowed one night off."

"I'm not worried about adjusting," she hastily lied, turning away from him to hide her face. He could read her too easily. Outside the window, it looked as if they had entered city limits. More buildings, more streets, more vehicles, more people.

It _would_ certainly be a change.

"I've already talked to the school, and they're fine with everything. You get to start on Monday, just in time for the new term, too, so think of this as a long weekend!" Koichi pointed out excitedly.

"It'll be spent unpacking," she replied.

"Try not to think of this as too boring. It can be an adventure! I lived in the city during my youth, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"I'll be fine, papa. Just don't go so overboard trying to cheer me up that you end up in the hospital, overdosed on junk food."

"I make no promises."

They got off the train at their stop, and Hisako pretended like she wasn't marveling at the city sights. They grabbed their bags. They had packed what they could to take with them, the movers bringing the rest the day after. She had a duffel bag and a backpack, mostly full of clothes, and clung to them both nervously as they wound their way through the crowd. Her father assured her that it was only a short bus ride to their apartment complex, and that she could ride the same bus to school. She focused on not getting stepped on.

Hisako was ready for this move, and she hadn't been dreading it or anything. But it was their first major move in her memory. She had never switched schools before. For all her smiles and reassurances for her father, she was a little nervous. Just a little.

Their apartment complex was in a fairly residential neighborhood. There was a convenience store and a bus stop on the corner, she noted with a sharp eye. Potential job. It seemed nice, though, and quiet. She couldn't see much of the sky. They passed a woman with a small dog in her arms in the hall, and she couldn't help but ask hopefully, "They allow pets?"

"Some small ones, although you'll have to talk to the landlady. Let's settle in and get adjusted before we think about such things," her father replied as he fumbled with the keys to their place. It was nearer one end than the other, on the side near the street. Not bad. But it wasn't like the home they'd left behind.

 

-.-.-

 

Monday, April 7th, 2014

…

 

Monday morning dawned and Hisako felt ill.

"It's just nerves," her father declared, and it probably was. It didn't make her _feel_ any better. Hisako groaned weakly and continued rubbing at her complaining stomach. "Don't worry. I've talked to the school. You will be okay, and if you're not, then we will switch schools. Please, don't be nervous," he said, nearly begged, and pressed his lips against her temple.

And that decided that. "I'll be okay." 

 _At least my uniform is cute_ , she reasoned, trying to cheer herself up. The weather was warm, even in the city, so she started out with her summer uniform. Her stomach clenched as she smelled the eggs her father had painstakingly made for her. He wasn't a great cook, but he had tried. So she would try, too.

She forced a couple bites down and made a show of drinking her milk. "I'll be getting more groceries today, so if there's anything else you need, text me," he said, pleased.

"Papa, you're condoning texting during class!"

"It could be during lunch! Don't you have break periods?"

Hisako sighed and smiled helplessly. She couldn't win against father logic, blunt as it was. "If I think of something, I will be sure to text you. Be careful unpacking the rest of the things, okay?"

"There's not much. I'm sure I'll get done today," Koichi replied with a bright smile. "Now off to school with you! You wouldn't want to be late on your first day, would you?"

Hisako kissed him goodbye, grabbed her backpack, and darted out the door. Her stomach still felt queasy, but it lessened once she got outside and got some fresh air. She could do this. She forced a smile and waited at the bus stop, alone. The convenience store behind her had a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window. _Score!_

The bus was crowded, full of commuters. Men in suits, women in sharp skirts, and a couple of students in various uniforms. She spotted two others with her school's uniform and felt a blessed half a moment of relief. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure how large her new school actually _was_. She got off at the correct stop—infinitely reassured when she saw the other two get off there as well—and marveled at the large building. There were a couple trees in the front, forming a bit of a buffer between the city and the school, but it was huge and had many students milling about.

Hisako skittered inside the gates, looking around herself with equal parts anticipation and nerves, and decided it would be best to use this time before the bell to find her classroom. And her locker. And everything.

It hit her that this was an  _entirely_ new experience and she was likely not very prepared for it.

She got inside the doors, just in time to catch the tail end of a very loud argument.  _Definitely_ not prepared for it.

Several other students were watching avidly as a furious girl shouted at a tall boy. "—and you're a _jerk_ , an elitist _pig_!" Hisako edged around the argument, scanning the lockers for her name. No, it wasn't on that side, or that one … "I can't _believe_ you! And why aren't you saying anything back!" Not on that side, either. She had the sinking sensation… It was over by the arguing couple, wasn't it.

"I can't say anything in my defense. I don't want to, and you can't force this sort of thing," the boy replied. Hisako kept her distance from them and continued looking over lockers. She still hadn't found hers, and that feeling was getting worse. Perhaps it would be safer to simply leave her shoes and things in some quiet corner and hope they didn't get stolen.

"I _never_ want to see your face again!" With that, and most surprisingly at all, the girl threw a cup of red paint at him. She stormed off. It dripped down from his face and his shirt, and it had streaked several lockers behind him as well. The boy just stood there, shocked into silence.

Hisako stared, incredulous, at the sort of display that this school would allow. She couldn't imagine what he had done to deserve that, but surely this couldn't happen every day. …Right?

She also had the distinct feeling that her locker was one of the scarlet ones.

"Where did she even _get_ the paint?" a snobby-sounding girl behind her asked.

"Probably from him!"

"No, she got it from the art room. I saw her in there earlier, ransacking the place!"

"God, she's such a stuck-up bitch."

"Oh, and you think Kikuchi's much better?"

Well, the images of the snotty rumor mills that television held about large schools were certainly true. Hisako checked her phone. She had about ten minutes before classes should start. That was more than enough time to find her classroom, which she ought to do. But her locker… Shoes in her hand, she stared at the boy, who had only then begun to wipe the paint off of his face.

Her locker was going to be there. There was no avoiding it. And really… She felt sorry for him. He hadn't seemed like a jerk or an elitist pig or anything else from the numerous things she had called him. And Hisako knew she wouldn't want to be standing there with paint drying while people laughed or looked on.

"Excuse me," she murmured, setting her stuff down a safe distance away from the paint. _Oh, what now?_ She had his attention, but it wasn't as if she had magical paint-cleaning powers. Or any sort of cleaning powers, for that matter. "…Uh, I couldn't help but notice that little… display."

"Right," he said, looking down at his red-covered hands. He had managed to smear most of it off his face. "Damn. This is certainly a mess."

"Um, if you could point me in the direction of the janitor or something, I'll go get some rags and stuff. Or, at least, someone needs to be notified of… this," Hisako said with a vague gesture.

He accompanied her to what was some sort of faculty room, telling a strict-looking woman about what had happened. He left out most of the argument. Hisako trailed behind him, trying to memorize the layout of the building, otherwise indelibly linked to the situation and unable to get away without making matters worse. She was told to escort him to the bathroom to make sure he didn't make more of a mess, and she had to wonder if this sort of thing _did_ happen regularly. No one seemed all that surprised about the girl throwing paint on the boy.

"Sorry about that," the boy said, clearly chagrined.

"It's okay. I mean, no one else was volunteering to help you out, and I'd hate it if that stained or anything," she replied nervously. She doubted it would be polite to tell him that she only wanted to find her locker. Oh damn—she had just left her shoes and stuff on the floor there!

"…You can go, if you'd like. It's not like you can follow me in," he said, and she realized that they were standing in front of the boy's bathroom. Hisako flushed and nodded.

"Um, yes! Right. I'm going to go retrieve my things then, see if I can't help out, uh, there!" She ran for it before it got even more awkward. She hadn't known the boy, and she hadn't wanted to get involved. Only help.

Thankfully, she found the entrance without much trouble, and even more fortunately, her things were still there. The floor had already been mopped, still wet and faintly pink, and there was a man scrubbing at the topmost locker that had gotten splattered.

She scanned over this side of the lockers as well, but still didn't see her name. Surely they had given her one? She didn't know anyone else to share one with for the day. Hisako squinted over the man's shoulder, looking at the paint lockers, but her name wasn't there, either.

She _finally_ found it across from where the mess was. Safe and sound, but on the topmost shelf. She could at least shove her stuff in if she stood on the tips of her toes. Did all big schools have problems like this? Hisako locked the door and reopened it once to make sure she had the right code memorized. It opened perfectly.

And then the bell rang.

Hisako froze in place, unable to comprehend where the time had gone. She'd had time to _explore_! To help! To find her classroom! And there, gone, like a butterfly out the window.

"Looks like you'll be late, too." She squeaked and whirled around to find the boy from earlier, his dark hair damp and looking decidedly less red overall. The paint hadn't come out of his jacket, she noted. "You're the transfer student, aren't you?" he asked flatly.

"Huh?" How did he know? Did she look out of place? Wear her hair wrong or something? Wasn't this fashionable in the city?

"We were told last week we'd been getting one in our grade, and I don't know you. Don't know too many girls willing to associate with me these days, either," he told her with a shake of his head.

"Oh." That wasn't as interesting as something like mind-reading powers, but at least it meant she didn't look weird. Hisako smiled uncertainly. "My name is Hisako Fujihara. I'm in class 2-B."

"Oh." There was something about the way he said that innocuous little word. She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, so am I. Thought so. We can be late together. I'm Yuri Kikuchi, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you," she said with a small bow of her head.

"They gave you a top locker?" Yuri asked suddenly, clearly confused by this. "Normally that just goes to the guys. Wanna swap?"

"What?" She hardly knew him, though it'd be nice not having to reach so often. Wait, was that even allowed? The last thing she wanted was to step on toes or break the rules on her first day of classes here.

Then again, she was already late.

But as she opened up her mouth to reply, he nudged a lower locker with his foot. "This is mine down here. If you ever get tired of stretching, we can switch." With that, he turned and started away. It sounded so simple. "…You coming?" She tore her gaze away from the lower locker. Tempting.

"Y-Yes! Sorry, um, Kikuchi-san. I'm obviously new, and you've had a rough day already…"

"May as well share the misery. But please, don't call me anything formal—sets my teeth on edge. Yuri's fine. Really."

"Yuri-kun," she amended awkwardly. He half-turned and gave her a pleasant smile. Hisako blinked in response, surprised. He seemed like a nice enough guy, definitely not those admittedly creative terms the girl had called him. It was better not being alone on her first day, at any rate. "Um, is this a nice school?" she asked to fill the silence.

"Oh yeah. Weird stuff happens from time to time, like this morning. But it's nice enough," Yuri replied and shifted his bag to his other hand. "Since we're in the same class and you're new and all, if you want a tour of the school during lunch, feel free to ask."

"That'd be great," Hisako said, immensely relieved. A guided tour would be far better than randomly wandering on her own. He led her to a door, and only afterward did she see the nameplate. It seemed so tucked away, not at all like her previous school.

The classroom wasn't as large as she'd been fearing. Hisako smiled widely, trying to hide her nervousness, and Yuri filed in behind her. He mumbled some excuse to the teacher, but his red uniform seemed enough reason. "Oh! I see Kikuchi escorted you here, and better late than never. Class, I'm pleased to say that we have a new student with us now." The teacher was a plump woman, matronly, and it seemed as if she wasn't in any sort of trouble. This wouldn't be hard at all! "If you would please introduce yourself to the class…?"

"My name is Hisako Fujihara," she said, giving the other students a quick, embarrassed bow. "It's a pleasure to be here."

Most of the students said something in response, but it was a mixture of "hello" and "welcome" and something else she couldn't identify. Clearly, they didn't get many transfer students, or they hadn't rehearsed. Or maybe they weren't very structured. She had looked into this school and it was supposed to be quite good, but what if—

"You can sit by Kikuchi there, behind Sakuraba." The teacher gestured to one of a couple empty seats, towards the middle of the class. Well, she wouldn't have a reason to be antisocial then. The girl in front of her smiled as she passed, and Hisako sat down next to Yuri.

And then Hisako realized that the girl from that morning was on her other side.

 _They were in the same class?_ she realized with horror, now _well_ aware she had just planted herself in the middle of a war zone. Sadistic motherly teacher! The honey-haired girl on her left gave her a slightly apologetic nod, sensing what the new girl had gotten into, and resumed glaring at Yuri. _So much for never seeing him again_ , Hisako thought morosely. She hadn't signed up for school drama.

Her teacher, Norita Yamashita, took some time to have a brief review period after attendance. It seemed as if she was the history teacher in addition to their homeroom one. She asked to see Hisako after their morning classes to help make sure she was ready for the new term, giving her materials she would need. She willingly agreed; the school seemed very nice and everyone was so welcoming.

Ignoring the teenaged girl boring holes into her skull on her left.

It felt like a lifetime before lunch arrived. It wasn't as if she was hungry, stomach still in little knots; she just wanted to get out of the glaring match. Ms. Yamashita gave her some outlines of the information they had covered so far, telling her not to worry about minor bickering in the class. Evidently, Yuri didn't have the best luck with the girls, and rather famously at that. "Do you think you'll like it here?"

"Oh yes. It's very… lively," Hisako said brightly. The woman smiled, clearly relieved. "Thank you for all of your help. I'll do my best to keep up in my classes."

"Looking at your transcripts, I have no doubt you will do fine. If you ever need any help, please, feel free to come to me," Ms. Yamashita said, tone kind. But Hisako knew what she was referring to. She nodded in understanding.

"Hey, can I borrow this now?" Hisako squealed as she was lifted up under the arms. Yuri dropped her quickly with a smirk.

"Kikuchi, with your track record, I don't see how you can have the courage to treat your fellow students like this," their teacher scolded sternly. She waved her hand dismissively at the both of them. "Please, don't get any more paint anywhere."

"That wasn't my fault," he replied with a shrug.

"Oh, um, thank you again," Hisako called over her shoulder as she was herded out the door. "A-And thank you, Yuri-kun, for showing me around." Already she could feel the stares of other students as he led her through the school. It seemed he had quite the reputation, but she couldn't place _what_ exactly it was. Maybe some sort of womanizer? And even the teachers were aware of it…

"Here we have the library. I don't come here much outside of finals, but some kids love it, so whatever works for them."

"Yuri Kikuchi!"

"And here we have a harpy," he said with a wince. Hisako recognized the voice at once, too: the girl from that morning… Glaring at him during class wasn't bad enough? "I'll try to calm Mika down, you can go eat or explore or what you'd like. Sorry I couldn't show you as much as you probably wanted."

"No, I'll be fine." She edged away as the girl, Mika—it was nice to have a name to put to the face, finally—stomped towards him. Maybe he really was a womanizer, even in high school. Hisako all but ran for it, careful to stick to the main hallways. She easily got back to her classroom, and could make it to the entryway from there. That wasn't so bad. Two whole areas to her mental map.

Hisako ended up spending lunch in the courtyard on one of the benches. There were a couple others milling around, most of them just chatting and enjoying the sunshine. It was a beautiful day out. The weather here was pretty nice. As she ate, she mused on the move. She and her father would cope—they always had. A new school wasn't so bad, especially now that first impressions had been made. She wasn't sure she wanted to get in too deep with Yuri and Mika, particularly if it involved more paint. But surely not all of the students in the school were so crazy.

Her father was out of the hospital for now, but they had moved to the city specifically to be closer to a special hospital for him. She could apply to some local, smaller places for a part-time job in a week or two, when things were more settled. Maybe she could pick up babysitting again. Then, it was just a matter of balancing studying and earning money. That was what she was used to, and that she could do. She liked routine.

Wow, they had a long lunch period here. Or maybe she had eaten too quickly. No, she had talked to Ms. Yamashita and then Yuri for a little while… Hisako sighed and packed up her things. According to her phone, she had four minutes, but she didn't want to awkwardly sit in class, alone, until the bell actually rang. _Maybe I'll see if I can make it back to the library by memory_ , she thought idly and made to stand up.

The world around her spun and she barely caught herself on her feet. The dizzy spell passed, slowly, but it slowly. Strange. "Maybe I should have eaten a bigger breakfast…" She didn't feel ill again, though. Hisako pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. She wasn't feeling warm.

"Oh my. Are you alright?" She blinked and looked up at a finely dressed man standing before her. He looked deeply concerned. She took a moment to process his out-of-nowhere arrival.

"I-I'm fine," she replied hastily, but the man pressed his hand to her forehead, far too close for her comfort. Hisako stepped away, fighting a reddening face. "I'm _fine_ ," she repeated.

The man smiled, sadly. He looked like one of the suave classy types, but he wasn't dressed like the typical teacher or school staff. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again with a shake of his head. She was pretty sure she heard him sigh.

"If you'll excuse me…" Being harassed by randomly appearing men was _not_ something she was used to. Was this something that happened regularly in the city? What if he was some sort of pervert—why was he allowed on school grounds? Hisako backed away from him, clutching her bag, and glanced back towards the school.

The man made no move to follow her. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding genuinely apologetic. Suddenly, Hisako was seized with paranoia—what if this sort of behavior was _normal_ in the city? Had she just offended some sort of rich patron of her new school? "I just worry about you. Please, be careful, my dear."

Nope, definitely a creepy person.

He waved pleasantly as Hisako retreated as quickly as semi-politely possible into the school building. She should probably report him, but to whom? Would it be okay to just mention him to a teacher, or would she have to talk to the principal or someone else? She couldn't help but sigh as she reached up to her too-high locker again. She had wanted a normal first day, not one filled with red paint and weird men.

"Hey, new girl!" She jumped, nearly dropping her bag, and turned to see one of her classmates. She only recognized the girl because she sat behind her. What had been her name? "I was hoping to catch you, but Yuri was hogging you. I'm Suzuka Sakuraba!"

Perfect timing. "I'm Hi—"

"Hisako-chan, got it!" Suzuka chirped, looping their arms together and dragging her back towards the classroom. Hisako briefly wondered if everyone at her new school was so physical; would this set the tone for the rest of the year? She wasn't sure she necessarily liked it. She carefully took her arm out of Suzuka's, giving her an apologetic smile. Suzuka didn't seem bothered in the least, and told her, "Since we sit close, don't be afraid to ask me about anything, okay? Class or social or whatever!"

"Um, okay. Thank you."

"Are you always so shy and quiet? I mean, some girls do that and it's cute on them, but god! Don't be afraid to speak up a little!" Suzuka said with a laugh. Glancing around, she then leaned in and added conspiratorially, "And watch out for Yuri, okay? He and Mika are kinda infamous together, but he's hurt his share of girls."

"How?" Hisako asked, hopeful to finally get a couple hints about the class she'd just been dropped into.

"He's a painter. In the Art Club, I think, or he was at one point. He's really good, usually wins a ton of awards at inter-school competitions and stuff."

…Was creativity shunned in the city or something? Did he paint cruel or indecent things? She could only stare blankly at the redheaded girl, trying to figure out how painting would be so chauvinistic that several students and a teacher had to _warn_ her. (Although it did simplify that morning's incident and Mika's weapon of choice.)

"Oh!" Suzuka chuckled again, letting Hisako go outside of their classroom. "I guess that didn't really answer your question. Yuri's a painter, and he likes to paint beautiful girls and women. Some people say he's even painted models before. But the thing is, he'll ask to paint a girl, and then come up with some reason why she's not beautiful or pretty enough, or he can't paint her, or it comes out wrong, or anything! Most girls don't take kindly to the implication that they're not pretty enough to be painted."

"Has that happened to you?" Hisako asked, eyes large. That did answer some questions about Yuri and Mika, and she could see more of Mika's side of the argument now. Yet here she'd wanted to stay out of the drama, and she was asking more about it… Oops.

"Haha, once! Only once, but I guess that's all it takes, huh?" Suzuka followed her into the room just as the bell rang overhead. "It was a couple years ago, but you know what he painted? A big splotch of red, all swirls and blobs! He's not an abstract artist, let me tell you, and normally his paintings are—oh, hello Mika!"

Mika, hands on her hips, intercepted them before they could safely sit down. Suzuka smiled nervously, eyes on the ceiling instead of her classmate; too late, Hisako wondered if she should be avoiding eye contact as well. "New girl," she said sharply, nearly making Hisako jump, "…I just wanted to apologize."

That hadn't been what she was expecting. Evidently, neither had Suzuka. "Woah, really? Should I get my camera out?"

"Not to _you_ , to her," Mika spat. She turned back to Hisako and her gaze softened a bit. "I _am_ sorry for my behavior this morning, and I know it didn't paint me in the best light." Suzuka snorted back another laugh. Mika didn't seem to be aware of what she'd said. "And I'm really sorry you got put between us in the seating chart. Yuri and I will eventually cool down, but I figure this can't be fun for you."

"Um, no, that's okay. It was just… really surprising?" she replied lightly, but Mika kept her serious expression. "Thank you for the apology?" Hisako guessed.

"If you want, I can give you a proper tour after school, since I interrupted your earlier one." Hisako nodded enthusiastically. "And stick closer to this one than Yuri," she added with a nod towards Suzuka. "He may seem quiet and harmless, but he's _not_."

Hell hath no fury indeed.

They sat down and she noticed that Yuri had already sat down to her right; how much had he heard? She didn't like talking about others, and while she wasn't about to ignore their advice, he hadn't seemed _so_ bad. He didn't pay her any attention and messed with his phone as the stragglers filed into the room.

Class offered her some peace and quiet. Mika and Yuri both ignored her and each other, and once Suzuka unsubtly turned around in her seat to ask her the answer to the question the teacher had just asked her. The English teacher, Mr. Akiyama, was clearly not impressed with the antic, but let it slide since Hisako gave her the correct answer. He didn't seem to mind the new student, nor was he overly strict. So far, none of her teachers seemed too bad.

It was after class, at her too-tall locker, that she saw Yuri again and he didn't ignore her. "How'd you like your first day?" he drawled and knelt down to unlock his.

Hisako looked around quickly for any sign of any of the girls in their class. She didn't want to seem like she was picking sides, and she certainly didn't want to start any more drama. They had enough of that around. "It was… hectic," she decided and looked down at his lower locker. Bending down wouldn't be fun, but at least she could reach it… "Yuri-kun, if I can ask, um, is the locker switch still… available? Is it against the rules?"

"Others have done it." And judging by his nonchalant attitude, he wasn't worried. She relaxed a bit. "Wanna trade, then?"

"Oh, yes. Please." She sagged in relief and carefully knelt beside him. Her locker was already empty, her things near her feet. He simply reached into his and dragged out a messy pile of papers, notebooks, and several paintbrushes. She had only thought these were for purses and shoes and bags, but he had certainly taken advantage of the space.

"So, they finally warned you, huh?" Yuri asked and shuffled out of the way.

"About… you?" she asked in reply. He seemed like a straightforward guy, and she didn't want to beat around the bush. She still had to meet Mika by the library in a couple minutes, if she could remember where it was… Hisako sighed. "Yes, I've gotten warnings. Is any of it true?"

"It's all true," he replied and nudged his old locker again. "The combo's 1-14-22. At least you won't have to completely forget your new one, since I bet you haven't memorized it yet."

"Thank you," she mumbled and dug around in her backpack for the slip of paper where she'd written her combination down to pass over to him.

"Going to ignore me now?" Yuri asked, simply. He didn't sound mean or sad; it sounded like an honest question.

Hisako fixed him with a serious look. "I'm not going to buy into rumors until I see evidence. Don't be a jerk, and I don't see why we can't be friends."

He looked down at her, a comical mixture of surprised and faintly embarrassed. She did her best to hold his gaze. She was supposed to be making friends at this new school, and they'd already been through a paint fiasco and a locker trade together. Bonded by trauma, maybe? Rumors were just rumors, anyway, and Suzuka didn't sound as if she was actually mad at him like Mika was. It was all probably overblown high school drama.

"Yuri, leave her alone." And then Mika arrived. Of course she arrived; checking her phone, Hisako saw that she was already four minutes late for what was probably just down the hall. She quickly stepped out of the way as Mika marched up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "You probably think you're tough shit, you pig, but I won't have you breaking more hearts!"

"I told you, I can't paint you. I'm sorry," he said tonelessly, eliciting a brilliant blush from her. Hisako edged away from them. Maybe she had already gotten in too deep.

"Wh-Why the hell not! So you want the _new_ girl now, is that it?! Set your sights on the latest model? You skirt-chasing, perverted libertine!" Hisako was curious about where Mika got her terminology, she really was. It wasn't the average high school student's vocabulary. She shuffled away from them, hoping her escape was relatively inconspicuous, and spied Suzuka peering around the corner of the hallway. She gestured to her.

Hisako decided it'd probably be safer to run for it. Suzuka seemed like the safer bet, and there wasn't any yelling in her direction. The redhead broke into a huge grin as they ducked back around the corner, out of sight. "Isn't she just… They're so funny sometimes," Suzuka said with a snicker.

"Is _that_ this school's idea of humor?" People—girls especially—loving drama as entertainment was nothing new to her, but she hadn't expected it from Suzuka.

And thankfully, she shook her head. "No, not that! It's just… She gets so worked up when it comes to him, doesn't she? If you ask me, there's more than some hurt feelings over a painting between them. She's always been a little prickly when it comes to Yuri painting other girls, anyway!"

Oh. Hisako listened to the argument for a moment longer; she could see the spurned lover angle from Mika. But did Yuri? "So… I guess he doesn't like her back?"

"Who knows?" Suzuka said and shrugged. She led Hisako down the hallway, gesturing to the classrooms in turn. "They're complicated, but funny sometimes. If you get past the shouting, but to be fair, that only started about a week or so ago. Usually our school's much more boring. And over here we have the boring classrooms!"

"Sakuraba, I _heard_ that," called their homeroom teacher from inside. She chuckled sheepishly and hurried down the hall.

"And here are some bathrooms. Equally exciting. I guess what really matters now is not the bickering couple, but the fact that I managed the steal the honor of the tour guide right under both their noses!" Suzuka strutted in front of her, puffing up her ample chest with pride. Hisako couldn't help but laugh. Encouraged, Suzuka leaned in close and said lowly, "The best part about this is that neither of them will expect _me_ as the thief! I'm supposed to be at practice right now, but it got canceled."

"Is showing the new kid around such a big deal?" she asked as Suzuka showed off their 'also boring' library.

"Yeah! We only got one last year, and you were a surprise this year. I know this is a city, but there's so many schools here and transfers are so uncommon that we hardly ever get new blood. Haruka's in the exchange program and here in a couple months we're tradin' her, but it's the chance to make a totally new friend, right?" Suzuka said cheerfully. Though her back was to her, Hisako nodded and smiled nonetheless. At least most of the people here were friendly.

Her school tour was once again cut short as a tall girl with twin braids came calling for Suzuka. She couldn't help but be amused. Maybe she was destined to only get through the first floor of the school, or maybe she'd just keep adding pieces with each new person she met.

"See you later, Hisako-chan!" Suzuka called, not at all fazed by the fact that she was being literally dragged away.

This school was _weird_ , Hisako finally decided.

 

-.-.-

 

Hisako finished unpacking her room, moving things to their permanent spots. Hopefully permanent. Her new room was smaller than her old one, but at least she was done. It already seemed cozier. It was still too early to start making supper, but she wasn't sure when her father was due home from work. She didn't really have anything else to do but homework, which was more than a little disheartening.

She breezed through her homework; most of it seemed like review for the new term. She studied a bit of English, since it was far from her strongest subject, until her dad finally returned home. To her surprise, he'd gotten take-out on his way, so they spent the rest of the evening watching television and eating together. Most everything around the apartment was unpacked, though it'd all take some getting used to. In their old home, the TV was on the other wall, but this wasn't so bad. She slurped down the rest of her noodles and rested against her father's shoulder.

"How was your first day here?"

"Exhausting. City people are… eccentric," she said tactfully. She wanted to be defensive of her potential new friends, but some of the antics she'd witnessed were more than a tad strange. (Nearly overwhelming, actually.)

"I'm sure you'll tough it out."

"The teachers mostly seem nice."

"Make any new friends?"

"Um…" There was the question she'd been half-dreading. She thought of the bickering pair, Yuri and Mika. She thought of the sunny Suzuka. And then she thought of that awkward man she'd met during her lunch break. "I'm sure I'll make some. The class was very welcoming."

"I'm glad to hear that," Koichi replied and pressed his lips to her hair.

"I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight, papa. Today has worn me out, and we both have a full week ahead of us, so you make sure to get your sleep, too."

"Who's the parent here?" he asked with a laugh.

"I am," Hisako said and puffed out her chest. "Now off to bed with you."

"Yes ma'am," he said and stood up. He gathered up their trash and took care of it, then gave her another kiss goodnight. "Sleep well, Ma-chan. Sweet dreams."

 

-.-.-

 

Knowledge: ★☆☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Harebrained

Confidence: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Wallflower

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Tolerant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: And here we begin Poison Tree Frog, which, while ridiculously named, will largely not be a ridiculous story. A lot of work has been put into this, an embarrassing amount really, and my darling MundaneJester has been helping me with it. It's our child. This story, as you've hopefully noticed, is an original Persona fanfiction, and while it will contain references to canon games in the series as well as fandom jokes, we're hoping that it's not necessary for you to have necessarily played them. It's going to be an enjoyable ride, trust me, if we can include even HALF of the stuff we want to.


	2. Garu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a painter grows horns and a transfer descends into hell.

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

…

 

Hisako settled into her school routine. Her newness had worn off unexpectedly quickly, but on the bright side, it meant she was already lapsing into a comfortable rapport with some of her classmates. The drama had settled down, too, for which she was eternally grateful. Suzuka was still just as friendly as when she'd met her, Mika was just as prickly but respectful, and Yuri was just as taciturn and awkward. So, routine. Good.

She wouldn't say she was making friends, however. At least not immediately.

Suzuka had lamented the fact that she had practice right after school, but that was it. Hisako had the afternoons to herself. Her father, having started his new job, didn't usually return until the evening. She studied and kept up with her homework, but it wasn't terribly exciting. Her father didn't want her getting a part time job just yet, and she would respect his wishes, but she wished she had _something_ to do after school.

She was out getting groceries when she saw the man again.

It was the same handsomely dressed man who had approached her and invaded her space on the first day of school. She did a double-take, at first, surprised to see him again. He was in another fine suit, black hair meticulously swept back, and appeared to be studying a bunch of carrots with inappropriate intensity.

She couldn't help but stare at him, but that was her mistake. He turned and caught her eye, brightening at once. Hisako turned and left, ducking into another aisle. She was nearly done with her shopping, but not quite. Too early for a total escape. Unfortunately, he followed her.

"Um, I'm sorry, but please stop following me," she said quickly and darted into another aisle.

"Wait, please!" She wasn't about to wait for the strange man, no sir. Hisako almost tripped over her own feet as she scanned the market for the last things she needed. The man headed her off back at the vegetables. "I'm sorry," he told her, sounding sincere.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm just trying to get food. I didn't mean to interrupt your… examination of the carrots."

"I was only waiting for you." That made matters worse. "I'm so sorry, I don't mean to upset you, my dear. I promise I will leave you alone again once I have warned you."

"Warned me?" Hisako asked warily. He had to have mistaken her for someone else, but if he would just leave her alone, she'd listen to him. If it would avoid a scene, at any rate.

"It's my sister. She is trying to find a replacement and she's trying to leave her duties. I believe she plans on trying to use a human for it."

And with that, Hisako was done talking to the bizarre man. He caught her by the upper arm as she tried to get past him, and she flinched back. He frowned—but he didn't release her. "Let go of me!" she demanded.

"Inanna, please! I'm only trying to help you!" he cried.

"You have me mistaken for someone else. That's not my name, now let me go!" She tore her arm free and hurried towards the checkout. She could get the rest of her things tomorrow, just so long as she didn't have to deal with him. He obviously had something wrong with his head, and she had no idea who Inanna was supposed to be. It didn't sound like a Japanese name, and it definitely wasn't anyone she knew.

He mercifully didn't bother her again. It seemed as if the few other customers and cashiers at the checkout kept him away, but that only made her worry more. The store wasn't too far from her new home. School, where she had first seen him, was across town; this was too close for comfort.

"Are you waiting for someone, miss?" Hisako jumped and returned to reality, shaking her head with a sheepish smile.

"No, just making sure… Nothing."

 

-.-.-

 

Friday, April 11th, 2014

…

 

"Good morning."

Hisako rubbed at her eyes. There was _so much_ blue—that wasn't her room. She sat up and combed her fingers through her hair, squinting sleepily at her surroundings. Still a lot of blue, but faintly familiar. Something stirred in the back of her mind.

The massive-nosed man behind the desk gave a low chuckle. That was definitely familiar. "It's not often I greet guests with that particular phrase," he admitted, seeming pleased with himself.

"This is… I remember this place," she said with a yawn. She was still in her pajamas, and looking down, she found herself on a surprisingly comfortable train seat. It was tempting to just fall back asleep there, even if it was a dream. Would that be double sleep?

"The Velvet Room, and I am Igor," he reminded her gently. She nodded. "It has not been long since our last meeting, but I called you here to let you know that things may be changing more rapidly than either of us had anticipated."

"Changing? How?"

"Your powers are budding, and they are about to bloom." She jumped as the pale-haired woman came up behind her. She was soon joined on Hisako's other side by the man. Octavia and Atticus, she remembered them now. She just wished they hadn't spooked her so badly. As if sensing this, Atticus broke out into a smile.

"Soon, you'll become someone with a fantastic gift. But also a great responsibility," he said. Octavia nodded in silent agreement.

"What do you mean?"

"It is difficult to see any details right now, but soon enough, we shall all become enlightened," Igor said. Somehow, even in a dream, he gave off that all-knowing vibe, so she was a little disappointed that he could only give her these cryptic sorts of hints. Hopefully he wasn't doing it for his personal amusement.

"Um, do you know if this involves a strange man with dark hair?" Running into him once was weird, but twice was too much for her to believe it was coincidence.

She caught Octavia and Atticus exchanging a look. "I don't believe so," he replied, puzzled.

"It's only supposed to involve a woman," she added.

It figured that it wouldn't tie together that neatly. Maybe she was being a little paranoid, but she couldn't believe that the strange things that had only begun happening when she moved weren't related. Hisako sighed in defeat and nodded. "These dreams are so weird."

"No weirder than the human realm," Atticus said under his breath, but she caught it all the same.

"If it makes you feel better, the next time you come here, it will be of your own volition," Octavia said. Then, smile slipping, she added, "We will always be here to aid you."

"Wait, I thought this place _was_ a dream. How am I supposed to come here again on my own?" Hisako asked, but the Velvet Room was already fading around her.

"You will figure it out," Igor said with a wave, and she woke up in her own room. She definitely didn't like all of the mystery. It was entertaining as far as dreams went, granted, but she also didn't like that it left her awake at six in the morning. She didn't need to be up for another hour at least.

She decided to get up. She could try making a more elaborate bento or something for lunch, or perhaps just watch the morning news. She was sure she'd find some way to use up her unwanted extra time. Hisako ran her brush through her hair and then started braiding it back; she normally wore it half up. It looked detailed and pretty, but it was actually pretty easy. She had the movements memorized, and as her fingers worked, she allowed her thoughts to drift.

She'd have to go grocery shopping again tonight, she knew. She was also struggling to keep up in English already, since they were going over some grammar issues that she had never been all that great with to begin with. Suzuka had invited her out after school on Saturday as well, though she wasn't quite sure for what. She still wanted to get a part-time job, too. How was it that she could seem so busy and yet so _not_?

Hisako finished her hair and, still in her pajamas, tiptoed out into the kitchen. Her father still wasn't up. She ended up making her usual lunch, by which time he woke up as well, and she decided to try making breakfast for them. "What's the occasion?" Koichi asked, amused.

"I just woke up earlier than usual," she replied. She could make eggs, but they didn't have enough for that to be the only thing. She could try to make omurice, but that was pretty hit and miss for her. They didn't have any ingredients for pancakes (she had meant to get them last night, and they'd become one of the casualties of the weird man). Her breakfast skills were painfully limited. "I had a weird dream, and decided to get up afterward. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, no, you didn't. I was just surprised to see you awake so early." He turned on the television, and the woman on the screen cheerfully announced the weather. The day was supposed to start off cooler, but warm up around noon.

She gave herself the first omelet, since it turned out a little misshapen. She also timed it a little off; the rice wasn't quite done. Hisako sighed. _One day_ , she'd learn how to cook properly. Just not anytime soon, it seemed.

After breakfast, her father said he had to go in early. He kissed her on the hair and hurried out. At least he'd eaten all of his food, which, she had to admit, made her feel a little better. Hers had tasted a little rubbery.

Her extra time had evaporated pretty quickly, and soon enough, she was straightening her tie and pulling on her shoes. She ran out the door, bag in hand, and checked her phone again. She still had time, but she hadn't expected to have misjudged the time that badly.

Hisako slowed to a walk. Something felt off. She looked around, but there was no one else in sight. Finally, she looked down—and realized she had completely forgotten her socks. It was a bad habit she'd somehow picked up in middle school, but she hadn't expected to forget again _now_. She checked her phone again. She was almost to the bus stop and she didn't have time to run back and get them if she didn't want to be late.

"Nngh," she groaned and paused, looking back towards her apartment building. Could she run that fast? She didn't know when the next bus came after hers, so what if that made her late? Her shoes weren't uncomfortable without socks—part of the reason she forgot them, she suspected—but she'd look so weird.

Her problems were suddenly tossed out the window.

She hadn't noticed the woman come up behind her. In fact, she hadn't noticed anything until that strange man from before grabbed the woman and shouted, "No! Not her!"

Hisako squealed and dashed away from them, more surprised than anything else. The man physically restrained the woman, though it looked as if he were actually losing. She was surprised at the force he was using—and how the woman completely threw him off. She was dressed in a tattered cloak of some kind and her wavy hair was a mess. Some sort of homeless woman?

"Not _her_!" the man repeated and lunged at the woman. She barked out a laugh and turned on him, blasting him back with some sort of—Hisako wasn't even sure what she was watching anymore. She hadn't touched the man, but he had been thrown backwards.

Wait. Hadn't Igor warned her about a woman?

"She's the cause of all of this, and you know that! You _know_ that!" the woman accused. Her voice was surprisingly soft, even raised.

"I-I didn't do anything!" Hisako said quickly and backed up. There was no one else on the street, but the bus stop was only around the corner. Surely there'd be someone to help there… "You must have me mixed up with someone else!"

"Inanna, run!" the man shouted and tackled the woman again. They both went skidding across the sidewalk into the street. There was urgency in his voice, and she certainly didn't want to get assaulted or drawn into a fight. So Hisako turned and ran.

As she turned the corner, she was abruptly dunked back into city life. There were several people waiting for the bus, a couple of them chatting amongst themselves or into phones. There was traffic and noise and life again. Hisako couldn't help her curiosity and peeked back around the corner of the building.

The fighting pair were gone.

She pressed her hand against her forehead. "I must be going crazy…" Maybe the city air was doing it to her. 

She mercifully got to school on time. A couple of students gave her weird looks for her missing socks at the lockers, but no one commented on it. At least, no one did until she shuffled into her classroom and Mika asked at once, "Why aren't you wearing socks or stockings?"

She burned in embarrassment and sighed. "I forgot them at home." Mika raised an eyebrow and stood up from her seat, closing her notebook as an afterthought.

She approached her and looked her up and down, seemingly looking for other missing articles of clothing. Hisako frowned at her. "How can you forget your _socks_? Don't you notice when you put on your shoes?" Mika asked, puzzled.

"It's a bad habit from when I was younger. I would go play outside and forget to put on socks. My feet got used to wearing them like that. D-Do you happen to have an extra pair I could please borrow?"

"That's not exactly a thing most girls bring extra of…" Mika looked about the classroom. There were a couple other classmates there before the bell, most of them watching unabashedly. Two of them shook their heads. "Wait, I know. Come on." She grabbed her hand and marched out into the hall, scanning the students milling about.

Hisako wasn't sure where she was being led, but she was already sadly used to the physicality of the other students here. She figured Mika would help her, just so long as she didn't get distracted by Yuri. But Hisako couldn't help but brighten when she saw the telltale red hair of Suzuka outside the library doors. She was talking with the taller girl, another of their classmates named Haruka.

"Sakuraba, do you have any extra pairs of socks?" Mika asked seriously, breaking into the conversation without a care.

Suzuka didn't seem fazed. "Uh, yeah. Why?" She turned and caught Hisako, then her bare legs. "Oh. How'd you manage that?"

"I just forgot," she sighed. She wondered why Suzuka would have extra socks but Mika wouldn't, but she got passed off to Suzuka all the same. Haruka said something that caused Mika to glare at her, but they were too far away to hear. "Suzuka-chan, where are we going? I-I don't really know this part of the building."

"Oh, the locker room. Most of us bring spare changes of clothes for after practice or just because, and I have some socks in there."

"You're on the baseball team, right?"

"Yup! I'm the star pitcher. You're welcome to join, you know! We're holding try-outs in a couple weeks, but I'll put in a good word with the coach. Have you ever played before?" Suzuka asked brightly as she led her into the girl's locker room.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I haven't."

"Well, I'm sure you would learn pretty fast. That's how transfer students are, right? They come in, have some outrageous talent, and then sweep everyone away with how good they are!"

"That's only in movies and manga," Hisako replied skeptically. Suzuka sat her down on a bench and opened a locker above her, then pulled out a pair of white athletic socks.

"Sorry they're white, and they're a little thicker, too. But they're supposed to go with our sports uniform, not these skirts, haha."

"Oh no, thank you very much." Hisako was simply relieved she wouldn't have it constantly pointed out to her that she'd forgotten them. There were a couple other girls who wore different colored socks or stockings in the school, she knew, so she wouldn't stand out nearly as much now.

"What're friends for? Just return them whenever." They hurried back to class, making it safely in before the bell rang.

 _Friends, huh_. Hisako wasn't used to making friends so quickly, but Suzuka was very welcoming. Mika was, too, in her own way. And she wasn't about to complain about it.

It wasn't until she sat down and unpacked her things that she realized that the desk to her right was empty. Yuri still wasn't there. He didn't strike her as the type to be late, but she hardly knew him. She caught Mika looking at his empty desk, seeming confused, so maybe he didn't come in late all that often. Incidents involving paint aside.

They were almost twenty minutes into their first class when he finally did arrive. Yuri came in with a mumbled apology, but Ms. Yamashita waved him off with only mild annoyance. Hisako felt more than saw Mika give him a glare. Hisako herself could only stare at him.

Yuri came and sat down next to her without a glance their way. Hisako continued to stare.

It wasn't that he was late—it was that he had _horns_.

She quickly glanced around to see if she was the only one staring. She was; everyone else was taking notes or texting. Mika only spared him one disdainful last look, and then returned to her book as well. No one else noticed the massive, black horns? Hisako returned to staring at him, incredulous. They had to be at least half a meter long, and he was already tall to begin with. They curved slightly and had ridges down the top, like an antelope or gazelle, she guessed. They were _not_ hard to miss, and they were honest to goodness _horns_. She could hardly believe it.

But she was the only one in class who was paying any attention to their horned classmate. Not even their teacher spared him a second glance.

Hisako sunk lower in her chair. _Is this some sort of trick for the new kid?_ she wondered, a little angry at the very thought. She heard that practical jokes could happen, but she had been there for several days and no one had done anything. She wouldn't have thought that either Suzuka or Mika wouldn't tell her. Yuri didn't exactly strike her as the joking type, either.

She kept stealing glances at him throughout class. She could hardly concentrate on what was being taught.

They were solid black, matching with his hair, and looked fairly pointed at the end. Yuri didn't react to the fact that he had them. He didn't feel them, scratch around them, or give any indication that he knew they were there. He didn't even act like they were heavy, though they had to be at that size.

 _What is going on here_ , she thought. Even as their teachers changed, no one reacted to the horns. She couldn't help but feel her own head, several times, undoubtedly messing up her hair. No one else had horns. She didn't. Not even the strange people in the Velvet Room or the weird man who called her Inanna had horns. Horns just weren't meant for people.

When the bell rang for their lunch break, Yuri excused himself without any fuss. Hisako watched him leave, waiting for him to duck out of the door. Instead, he walked through normally, heedless of the horns—and they phased through the top of the door frame.

"I _am_ going crazy," Hisako lamented and buried her head in her arms.

"Why?" Mika asked, leaning over.

"You don't see those, do you," she mumbled. She already knew the answer.

"See what?"

"Hey, do you guys want to each lunch with me and Haruka today?" Suzuka turned around in her seat, then noticed Hisako. She poked her shoulder cautiously. "You alright?"

"She says she's going crazy," Mika told her. Hisako groaned again. "I understand the sock thing had you worried, but—"

"No, it's—there was this man, and I've seen him three times now. And then this morning, Yuri-kun, he…" She was explaining this wrong. She knew something weird had to be happening to him, and there were already two sources of weird in her life, so _one_ of them had to be connected. Surely.

"It's not often he's late."

She knew they didn't see them. No one but she did, for whatever reason. Maybe she had undercooked the eggs that morning and she was sick. Maybe she was still dreaming. Hisako allowed them to drag her off to lunch, though she didn't have much of an appetite. Suzuka cheerfully invited Haruka over. They were teammates on the baseball team, but Haruka had been studying in the library during lunch the past couple days.

"Why?" Mika asked, appalled at the very notion. "And you have practice after school. Don't you get hungry?"

"I usually just eat something really quick. I just have to keep my grades up right now," Haruka explained. "I have to take some tests in a couple weeks to make sure I'm proficient enough to go over."

"But I'll miss you!" Suzuka exclaimed dramatically and latched onto her arm.

"Oh, right, you're in our exchange program," Mika said with a nod. She turned to Hisako and nudged her with her elbow. "You're not eating much, either. You're all so thin, you should be eating more."

Hisako was still thinking about Yuri. "Fine." It didn't make much sense. He wasn't acting any differently, though she had yet to speak with him personally about it.

"Hey, wait. Don't we have midterms in a month? They're making you study for your proficiency tests at the same time?" Suzuka asked with horror. Haruka nodded, hanging her head morosely. "That's so mean! I can't believe they'd do such a thing!"

"Hey, it means I'll pass my English tests with ease."

"Ugh, you should tutor me. I get all of the prepositions mixed up still."

"Oh, I'm not doing that well, either," Hisako added, forcing herself out of her own thoughts. She wouldn't dwell on him, she told herself. She would simply talk to him after school and ask if anything had happened. And he would be fine, and then she'd go home, take some aspirin, have a nap to clear her mind, and everything would be okay…

Suzuka leapt upon the idea. "We should have a study party some time! Closer to midterms so we don't forget it all again, but we could study together!" She looked at Mika expectantly.

She sighed and nodded. "I'll come, though I'm doing fine."

"Then you can help me with them," Haruka said with a laugh and a nod at Suzuka and Hisako.

Lunch, and the pleasant distraction it brought, was over with all too quickly. Soon enough, Hisako was seated back in her classroom, next to the boy with the absurd horns. He was distracting her all over again. And, as if out of spite, the horns seemed shinier than before, too.

Class was nearing its end for the day when she noticed that Yuri's breathing was beginning to become labored. He coughed a couple times, and eventually it got to the point where it distracted the class. "Sir? I don't think I'm feeling well," he eventually said, voice hoarse. 

"Go to the nurse, and then head home, since it's already so late," the teacher grumpily replied.

As he left the room, his horns actually made a _clack_ sound as they passed through the door's top frame. Mika, on her other side, jumped and turned to the sound. Hisako didn't notice.

His coughing worried Hisako even more than the horns. She couldn't imagine that they were unrelated, but because he was leaving earlier, she wouldn't be able to talk to him! She didn't know where he lived, not even which direction, or how he got home. She tapped her feet nervously as the clock counted down to when the rest of the class would be released. She could only hope that it would take a little while for the nurse to check him over.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang. Hisako shot out of her seat with a hasty apology to Mika and Suzuka. The horns had to be making him sick somehow, and what if she was the only one who could see them? She managed to find the nurse's office on her own, but he wasn't there. "Kikuchi-kun left just a few minutes ago. It didn't seem serious, but it could be a cold."

"Thank you." She didn't stay for any more explanation than that. Hisako refused to believe that the horns were innocent. They couldn't be! She didn't see him at the lockers, so she hurriedly grabbed her shoes and things and raced out the door. She spotted him—at least he was easier to find, with his height and his new horns—walking leisurely out the gates of the school, turning left.

She managed to keep him in sight, even with the crowd of students all around them. They were getting out of the school's territory and back out into the city, which meant more pedestrians and traffic, keeping her away. She wasn't even sure how to approach him properly.

Hisako followed him as he turned down a quieter street. He didn't turn around or notice her, or if he had, he was ignoring her. They were off any public transportation paths and well away from many residential areas, so she had to wonder where he was going. _Wait, why am I following him like some sort of spy? He's my friend_ , she told herself sternly.

But just as she sped up and meant to finally ask him about it, he turned down another alleyway. Hisako jogged after him, and was immensely surprised to find him approaching a small, grassy area of some sort. There were several older stone buildings, one of them looking like a small church. The gate he walked through was heavy and iron, definitely not Japanese in style.

And then she realized that he had led her into a small cemetery.

He paused and leaned against a tombstone, coughing again. Although she was creeped out about her surroundings, she told herself he was probably here to paint something. …Except he hadn't brought any supplies. She refused to believe this was going to get any creepier, though.

He wiped his mouth and patted the tombstone awkwardly, then turned his head sharply to one side. She jumped, fearing she'd been spotted, but he just turned down a small offshoot path. She followed him deeper into the cemetery, past another set of old gates. He approached a larger grave, contemplating it, and then bowed before it. Hisako was more curious and concerned than ever, but she felt it was right to keep her distance until she had a couple more answers about this whole thing.

Then, he slid back the top of the tombstone. She jumped and bristled at the sheer disrespect for the dead—and then he stepped into it and headed downward. _There are stairs!_ She waited until his horns disappeared from view and darted after him, staring in shock at the grave-turned-stairwell. " …Yuri-kun?" she whispered into the darkness below. There was, predictably, no response.

She looked around for someone else to help. A guard, a groundskeeper, anyone. The place was eerily silent and she was alone. She was fairly certain she didn't want to go down into the ominous, clearly evil pathway to pure soulless darkness. She was _very_ certain she didn't want to. But Yuri had descended easily, and he was beyond acting strangely. Something serious was afoot and he was her friend. He could be in danger, or could _be_ dangerous. At the very least, she wanted answers about all of this sudden craziness in her life.

Hisako ventured downward.

The stairs and walls were all made of a colorless gray stone, cool and smooth to the touch. The stairs were a little steep, and there was no railing, but she didn't have to worry about slipping. They ended surprisingly early. She could still see bright daylight up above her head. They led out to a dirt path, the same width as the stairs, that continued winding downward. It got darker as she progressed and the light from above faded with the distance, but she could still see well enough to walk. She didn't see any sign of Yuri.

 _Okay, Hisako, it's just getting a_ little _creepier, no problem_ , she thought, trying to brace herself as the light faded. She could only think of all of the horror movies she had ever seen. They all had to deal with darkness, and she _was_ in a cemetery, in a tomb, going down a stairway, into the dark, following her creepy horned classmate— _stop it! Stop thinking like that, idiot!_

But by then, she was thoroughly chilled. It wasn't too much cooler than up above, but the atmosphere wasn't exactly welcoming. The winding path didn't have any sharp corners for killers or monsters to hide behind, and she counted herself lucky for that. Visibility, however, was diminishing the farther she went down.

Then, she saw a light.

Hisako, hand against the wall as a comfort, peered curiously down the path. It was real light! The path had opened up into a large area, and she could see a far wall. She couldn't see a ceiling, however, as the path revealed a huge cavern instead. The light, soft and white, was coming from an unknown place, but she was so glad to have a new source that she hurried along regardless.

She was just about jogging by the time she made it into the open area. The light was coming from the far wall, to her surprise; it glowed up from the base like some sort weird lamp, uniform and constant. The area was still eerie, but at least it was lit. In fact, it was sort of pretty.

Just as she was thinking that and taking in the immenseness of the cavern, a voice called out "No further, if you'd please."

Hisako made a very undignified noise of surprise, something between a squeak and a shout. She turned and found—well, there was the monster she had been expecting. But he was thoroughly un-terrifying. Twice her height and with the body of a very muscular man, the monster had the head of a lion and large, blocky wings protruding out behind him. He was a dark, earthy brown from the tips of his bare toes up to his feline ears, aside from his eyes—a bright, nearly glowing green. While intimidating and _very_ surprising, still not exactly horrifying. He looked more like he belonged in a history museum than a horror movie.

And so, she replied in her calmest voice, "Hello."

"All who enter here must have no further ties to the land of the living," the monster told her.

Honestly, it made sense, considering she was in a cemetery. And, compared to the fighting couple that morning, Yuri with those long horns, and the pale-haired people who kept appearing in her dreams, this was surprisingly straightforward. Oh, she had wandered into the land of the dead, and he was telling her such. Hisako was definitely back to thinking she was crazy again. But at least the monster acted sane.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just looking for my friend who came through here." The lion-man's ears twitched and his snout wrinkled. "A boy, taller than I am, with dark hair and... horns."

"All who enter here must have no further ties to the land of the living," he repeated, but sounded a little more confused.

"No one's been in before me?" she guessed and he looked towards the lit wall, betraying the answer. So Yuri had somehow gotten past the monster, but how? He hadn't beaten her in by that long, and there weren't any other routes downward. He had to have come through there.

"You are the first living human I have seen in centuries." Oh—she hadn't been expecting an actual _conversation_. Too often, the monsters in movies and books were frustratingly cryptic. This would be a surprising change of pace, and it cemented his non-terrifying presence.

"There's no other way down here, is there?"

"Not from that direction, no," he replied stiffly, standing up a little straighter. But then, he looked back out over the wall. She could see a gap in it, leading into some sort of corridor.

"Well, I followed someone down here. I'm certain he's come through here."

"No one with any ties to the land of the living may enter."

"Yuri—my friend—he's not _dead_!" Hisako said at once. She was fairly certain she would have been able to tell if she had made friends with a zombie. If nothing else, Mika would have gladly warned her about that, too.

The monster made a gesture; it took her a moment to realize he had shrugged. His movements were sluggish, as if he was unused to moving that much. He had mentioned centuries, too. Maybe she had stumbled onto something a little too big...

"Can I just... Um, could I just take a peek in that place?" The cavern was large, but it was solid rock all around them. There was only the way she'd came, behind her, and the opening in the smooth, whitish wall, across the open space. Far too far for her to simply run for it. And with that lion head, she had the notion that he'd simply pounce on her if she tried.

He sighed wearily. "I will not repeat myself again. No one with any ties to the land of the living may enter. I guard this space, and that is what I have been commanded to do." He eyed her with those unnerving bright green eyes. "You may go no further, if you wish to keep your ties."

"So... I have to be _dead_?" Hisako asked fearfully, earning a nod. That had not been the plan. "But..." He _had_ been very slow with his movements. Maybe he was one of the hulking, lumbering types of monsters.

"You are a fearless human child." She didn't like the label of child—or fearless. She just had a long lapse of judgment and a bad case of curiosity when it came to why her classmate had shown up with horns that morning. And she was slowly losing her mind, because she was talking to a centuries-old guardian of the land of the dead.

"Is this hell?" Hisako had to ask.

"No." That was only _slightly_ reassuring. So Yuri hadn't led her down into hell. He had still left her with too many questions and a guardian to the underworld. "My patience grows thin. Please, leave here."

He was offering her an out, she recognized. She could turn and leave and pretend she never found that place. But that would mean leaving Yuri to whatever was going on, and who knew what that was? "What is this place?"

"Irkalla, where souls come to rest. You are not supposed to be here."

"But there's someone else, another living human, who's down here with me. I need to find him, and then I will return, and leave you alone forever." Her father always called her stubborn, but facing down a guardian of Irkalla should win her some sort of prize. Though to be fair, he had been a very accommodating guardian so far.

He took a warning step towards her, wings flapping once, betraying his agitation. "There has been no other living things down here." What Hisako took away from his movement was that he was _not_ fast.

"I know he came down here." The monster wasn't fast, and he'd be chasing a smaller target. She couldn't believe she was considering this, and maybe it wasn't just for Yuri at this point. She knew what she had seen. She had seen a grown man and woman fighting in the street that morning, she had seen her classmate come in with horns, she had seen not another soul bat an eye at those horns. She was seeing a monster and the underworld.

And this monster would see her run for the entrance.

Hisako broke into a sprint and she caught him jump, as if in surprise, in her peripherals as she ran past. The gap of open space to the glowing wall was further than she had imagined, but she didn't hear any signs of pursuit. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, she thought he would simply _fly_ after her—but risking a glance back, she saw that she had guessed correctly when she thought that the wings were mostly for intimidation.

The lion face snarled, lips curling to reveal impossibly long fangs, and Hisako turned back around. It was too late now to regret stupid decisions. She felt the ground shake beneath her feet, though, and she nearly lost her footing. She was halfway there, though, and had more of a lead than she could have hoped for.

But the shaking came again, and this time, she did trip. She caught herself at the last moment and turned. The guardian was bounding after her on all fours, leaps long and powerful, and was almost upon her. Hisako bit back a scream and threw herself to the side as he came down where she had just been. The shaking ground was enough to send her skidding, knees and hands scraping as she tried to get back to her feet.

"Get back here!" he roared, sounding too much like a lion and not enough like the civil monster from before. This had definitely been a mistake. It was too late to change her mind now.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. She managed to dodge his next leap, by a hair's breadth, but not the following one. Hisako fell, barely catching herself with her hands, as he snagged her legs with—oh no, she hadn't noticed the claws before. She gasped in pain as they dug into her calves, cutting through the socks and into flesh. "Let me go!" she screamed, shrill, and tried to twist in his grasp.

The monster unhooked his claws from her legs and grabbed instead. He lifted her, upside-down, and she screamed again. Blood rushing into her head made her feel dizzy and she fought to try to keep herself modest and simultaneously reach his hand. She didn't have the strength to reach all the way up there, not when he was holding her by an ankle. Kicking him would have to do, but that hardly fazed him.

"You are a very intriguing human, but your time here is over. At least, as a living human," he said, and she noticed he was panting. So he wasn't that energetic. She _could_ have stood a chance if she had just managed to avoid him. Then, what he said caught up with her.

"You—You're going to kill me?" Hisako asked in a small voice.

"I told you as much." He sounded disappointed with her. "No one with ties to the land of the living may come through here."

"But my friend did! Someone else got past you—I just want to find him! Then we'll both leave, I promise!"

"Little child, did you expect to trick a god and get away with it? You are coming in here as a spirit. There is no other route this situation will take at this point."

So not a monster, but a god. She had never heard of one like him, but she wasn't going to dispute it at that point. She gave up on her skirt and pushed away from him with both hands, swinging in his grasp. He still didn't drop her, to her dismay. More kicking, but that just earned a wince and a curled lip. Heart hammering in her chest, she wasn't seeing any way out of this—she couldn't talk herself out, she couldn't fight her way out, and she couldn't run away.

She could really die because of this.

The blood still trickling down her leg felt cold. Her vision was starting to swim and her head felt stuffy from being held upside-down for so long. But she didn't want to die. She just wanted to find Yuri and get the hell out of there. Hisako flexed her fingers and tried to push away from the god-monster again. "I have seen too many weird things today to just die like this," she croaked, feeling rather foolish for how this was turning out. "And I am not going to leave my father all alone. You will release me, and I will go find Yuri, and then we will leave. Now, let me down."

He snorted; it sounded a bit like a laugh.

"You could at least have the decency to take me seriously!" she said hotly.

"But you have not taken this situation seriously, not for a moment since we've met."

"I _only_ wanted to do this civilly. I am only here for my friend."

"And you stubbornly repeat yourself. Like a child. Just a child, no matter how fearless or selfless," he said and raised her higher, so they were nearly eye-level. His green eyes were even creepier up close. With his free hand, he brought his claws up, lightly against her neck and cheek.

Sharp things, against her throat. This was one moment away from—Hisako quelled the panic inside her and did the last thing she could think of. She spat in his face.

The effect was instantaneous. He snarled, sounding very much like an angry cat, and dropped her. The monster seemed more appalled by her move than actually distracted. Hisako landed heavily on her shoulder, but she had managed to brace herself. She rolled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her calf, and pressed her hand against her neck where he'd nicked her with a claw. The adrenaline was working on her like a bad influence; she had come this far, he was tired, she was faster, she had not just followed a stupid whim to end up _killed_.

She ran for it, and he pursued her. She didn't get very far before he knocked her feet out from under her, though she managed to roll out of the way of his following swipe. The white wall with its opening seemed tantalizingly close, and yet too far for an injured sprint. But she was _so close_. It wasn't fair! She had come too far.

The monster leapt at her, shaking the ground with his landing, and she fell again. He was too close. She let go of her neck and reflexively brought her arms up to cover her head as he batted at her.

But the blow didn't come. There was a long moment—Hisako curled there, braced, only thinking of how furious she was at herself for doing this, for not finding Yuri, for leaving her dad and new friends behind—and then, it wasn't claws digging into her back and side like she expected.

It was claws ripping her apart from the inside.

She jerked and her back snapped rigid, uncurling her, and Hisako could only _feel_ as something tore through her chest. Not quite claws, but daggers, ice cold and merciless. All of her anger and fury bubbled beneath it, boiling up through the gashes carved through her, and she could only stare, terrified and frozen, at the rocky ceiling above her. Her entire body was locked up, painfully so, and she was forced to watch as the blood from her wounds stopped flowing—and instead, began dripping _upward_. The pain inside her was clawing its way out, upward, fighting its way out to meet it. And the little flecks of red were joining together, brightening, glowing.

The thing inside of her burst out of her chest and met the blood in a flash of light.

Hisako collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily, unsurprised to find tears coursing down her cheeks. There was a loud noise, a clack, and she managed to lift her head enough to see claws stopped just barely in front of her. That hadn't taken forever; that hadn't even been a split second. The monster was still there, still intent on killing her.

She tilted her head back, following the blue staff that had intercepted the claws for her. Her eyes widened. Her savior was a dark-skinned woman, as tall as the monster, muscled and strong. She was something out of some old culture, with a wide, golden necklace laying on top of a bare chest, and a skirt with matching cuffs dyed like blood. A warrior.

The monster was staring at Hisako. He seemed shocked—no, scared. She pressed a hand to her chest and looked back up at the woman. Beyond all reason, her heart was still beating beneath her shirt. Even after that thing had tore itself out of her. She could feel some sort of intrinsic link between them, though she couldn't begin to identify why. Thinking of her in those terms came as naturally as breathing.

Unbidden, a word came to her, and she felt herself mouthing it before she even realized what it was. "Persona...?" _What is a Persona?_

The monster withdrew his clawed hands and shrank back. The woman didn't relax her defensive stance over Hisako. Neither spoke, only sized each other up.

Then, with a swirling of wind, another appeared on the scene. Hisako screamed and jumped behind the woman with the blue staff. The other two just looked away from the newcomer, expressions souring further. "Inanna, what have you come here for? Why would you return to Irkalla once more?" It was another woman—impossibly similar to the warrior above her, except a dead husk of her image. Her hair roots were grayed, not from age, but it seemed like the color itself had died. Her skin, likewise, was ashen and unhealthy. She wore a long, colorless robe, body and limbs hidden directly from view, though she, too, wore a golden necklace with a blue pendant.

The woman above Hisako turned her head, frowning irritably.

But the new woman, the one standing in between them and the god-monster, was looking at Hisako. She raised her eyebrows, signaling her impatience. "...What," Hisako ground out. This was all happening too quickly for her mind to continue processing. Her body was sore all over, she was still bleeding, and whatever had just happened—for there were no actual new wounds on her, despite the pain being vividly represented in her memory—had taken a large toll on her. One civil monster was just that: one thing to deal with. But now she had three. Three god-monsters, no horned Yuri, and— _did she just call me Inanna?_ Hisako realized, suddenly horrified.

"Dearest sister, have you already forgotten when you came here last? You may be quite careless, but surely you remember that particular past," the other woman pressed, sounding frustrated.

"I've never been down here before!" she exclaimed desperately. "I am Hisako Fujihara, _not_ Inanna! Who is Inanna, anyway?"

She got her answer as the topless woman above her shifted, almost uncomfortably. Of course. She wanted to cry. These beings shouldn't exist, much less force her into impossible conversations and roles. How was Yuri even involved in all of this?! Oh, she would have to have words with that boy, words not even Mika could rival in one of her moods.

"...You do not remember me, do you?" the other woman asked. Hisako shook her head, hair flying, unable to convey how much she did _not_ remember ever coming into the land of the dead before. "I am so sorry, I wish this weren't true. I cannot hope to grasp what you are doing down here now, but you don't have to hide from me here. If I can figure out how, I will help you, sister dear."

She wasn't sure if she could trust her ears. She wasn't sure she could trust anything about this situation, come to think of it. But talking was better than dying. "Can we... Could we please just talk about this for a moment?"

"Very well, I will not balk. If you so wish, we will talk," she replied kindly.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Harebrained

Confidence: ★☆☆☆☆ (+5)  
-Wallflower

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Tolerant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuri's horns are oryx horns.


	3. Garula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a transfer conquers a dungeon and a painter is confronted.

"So, you think... I mean, I am Inanna," Hisako said carefully. She sat with her knees together, inspecting her injured leg. Inanna sat behind her, cross-legged, unabashedly half-nude and not quite glaring at the others, but still giving off plenty of negative feelings. She couldn't exactly glare; upon a second look, Hisako was greatly surprised that the woman was blindfolded underneath her long, shockingly violet hair. It seemed like she was all reds and purples and browns, except for her blue staff and gold necklace.

"You are my sister, after all. You may call me Ereshkigal," the other woman said cheerily, complete with a grand smile. It was amazing how quickly this had gone from civil to violent to death threats to lighthearted conversation. It was dizzying. "He is this land's guardian, of a sort. This is Nergal, my consort."

She tried not to make a face at the mental images that conjured for her. "These names, they're not Japanese. Where are you—we—from, exactly?"

"We lived together a long time ago. In the land of the living, not this world below."

There was a change in her composure that prompted Hisako to lean forward and ask, "But not anymore...?"

"Inanna, it's done with. I would rather not rehash the past with you. I've finally come to peace with it all. Please, just let us start anew," Ereshkigal said.

Hisako relented. She looked up at the being looming over her. Inanna tilted her head down at her, mouth drawn into a thin line. She looked very much alive and pretty healthy, whereas Ereshkigal looked like she was dying—or dead. And considering where they were, Hisako could glean enough from that. She decided to change the subject. As pleasant as getting a break of all of the madness was, she still had a very pressing matter to attend to outside of it all. "Um, there was a boy who came down here before me."

Ereshkigal raised both eyebrows and looked at Nergal, beside her. "Nergal, is this true? Has another come through?"

"She was the first human I had seen." He frowned, though, and stole a glance over at Hisako. Neither of them seemed to actually see the giant woman sitting behind her. It made her wonder how they were viewing her. "I had not realized it wasn't human."

"I am _too_ human," she huffed. The fact that neither of them were about to kill her had given her some stubbornness back, even if it was likely misplaced. "And I am not an _it_! I'm a girl!"

"Of course you are. But what _are_ you doing here? You have no need to be, Inanna dear, " Ereshkigal replied, tone soothing.

"I told you, I have to find a boy. Human boy with black hair and long _horns_ sticking out of his head!"

"Horns?" They exchanged an uneasy glance. It didn't sit well with her. "When was the last time she...?"

"If she's up to mischief, I would need to know. I have not seen her in far too long… There is no need to worry, though," she said quickly.

Nergal still looked unsure. "But if she is, we will have a massive problem on our hands…"

Hisako stayed silent, unable to come up with a response that didn't involve sarcasm.

"I will investigate this matter, but Inanna, Irkalla will always be open to you. Nergal will not forbid you entry again. And I, dear sister, will help too." She waved her hands in the air, and a delicate, golden chain appeared between them. She hooked it around her finger and drew little lines; from where her finger touched the links, a small charm appeared, with three in total. She handed it down to Hisako with another kind smile. Inanna leaned over her shoulder, emanating curiosity. "Should you need me, I will come at your behest. I only have three Tablets left, but they should keep you safe on this minor quest."

"Oh. Thank you," she replied, surprised by the gesture. She was going out of her way to be kind, if not strictly apologetic for the earlier happenings. It still sounded like a massive mix-up, but she wasn't going to turn down help. "But please... You don't know where my friend could have gone?"

"He must have gone somehow into Irkalla. It's the only place that we cannot currently view," she said and gestured at the open space surrounding them. "I will go; I would have words with Dumuzi and that sister of his, provided I can find the two..."

"Thank you," Hisako repeated. She stood up, a little shakily, and dusted off her skirt. She didn't have any problems with continuing on her own. No matter how polite Nergal could be or how outright nice Ereshkigal seemed, it would be nothing but a relief to be alone for a bit. Even hurt, even lost, she wanted some time to herself to think.

Ereshkigal placed a goodbye kiss on Hisako's forehead, and then disappeared with a gust of wind. Nergal pointed out the way towards the first gate, and she was on her way. A little more battered than she would have liked, but alive and upright, at least. And with a large, silent guardian following her.

"You don't talk, do you?"

Inanna replied by vanishing. Hisako whirled around, looking for any sign of her, but she was completely gone. She had to roll her eyes.

"Great. Okay. Let's just find Yuri-kun and get out of this place before something even _worse_ happens..."

The only real lighting in the area came from the base of the walls, with that same, soft, white glow she could see from the outside. Up close, the walls were even taller than she had thought. The gap hadn't led to a path as she had hoped, but instead two diverging paths. One turned fairly soon, and the other forked into another pair of routes.

Irkalla was a maze.

Hisako went the shorter way, peeked around the corner, and then pattered back down the other corridor. The lighting was dim enough not to cast shadows anywhere; her sense of space and depth were messed up. The seamless walls and twists and turns weren't helping things. She wasn't sure how she was going to find Yuri... or get back out of here. She didn't have anything to write with. She patted down her pockets, double-checking, hands stinging from the scrapes on them.

She stared at the red smeared on her hands. It would be better than getting lost. The blonde girl pressed her palm against the corner of the hall she was turning down, but it only hurt her. The mark she left was hardly visible. Gritting her teeth, she pressed harder. She managed to leave a fairly visible red handprint, but she also succeeded in making her hand actually bleed. "Great."

Her leg was still oozing blood out of the torn socks. Next time, she was just going to finger paint with that. And those were Suzuka's socks!

"How am I going to explain this to anyone...?" At bare minimum, she would have torn and bloody socks to explain to Suzuka, injuries to explain to her father, and several hours missing with Yuri to explain to everyone else. No one would believe the Irkalla or Nergal bits, or the horns, and definitely not Inanna.

First, she'd have to find him. She was still hoping Yuri would have more answers for her, and maybe he would. He had _better_. It was easier to be angry than scared, angry at him and at how her leg stung when she swiped up a little bit of blood to mark another wall, because getting scared would only have her crying or curled up in a corner. The sooner she found him, the sooner she could demand answers, and the sooner they could leave. She could bandage herself up and put ice on her chest. It still felt like Inanna truly had clawed her way out.

_Okay, find Yuri, yell at him, run out of here, and sleep for twelve hours..._ That sounded like a nice plan. There, she had a focus now. Everything would be okay.

A shriek cut across her planning and she jumped horribly, only catching herself with the nearest wall. The sound died down into a keening, high-pitched laugh. It sounded like something out of a horror movie—a real monster, then, not another polite one. It made sense, right? She was in hostile territory, of course it wouldn't be that simple. Hisako edged along the wall and peeked around the corner.

It was like seeing a documentary; two hyenas circled around something else, barking and laughing. At least, they looked like hyenas... although their colors were all wrong (black with splotches of bright red and blue) and their backs looked a little _too_ hunched and they had masks on. Human-face masks, just sitting atop their heads, with their snouts poking out underneath. It would have looked silly had their teeth not been visible even from where she was standing.

_Okay, hyenas. Are there other animals down here? Nergal had a lion head..._ Hisako took a deep breath and peeked around once more. The masked hyenas had circled around, allowing her to see what they were picking on: a smaller dog-like creature. Where their fur was dusty and broken by splashes of color, it was sleek and pure black, almost shiny. The only contrast was the pretty gold necklace and anklets it wore. It reminded her of stylized Egyptian art.

They were blocking the only path forward. She could double back and check another route. Inanna hadn't reappeared, and with her leg hurt, she didn't fancy another chase. As Hisako backed away, the creature in the middle howled again, matching the earlier sound. The hyenas' laughter overtook it as it died off with a whine.

Then, as one, all three canines turned towards her. The Egyptian one had pure white eyes, no pupils, but a solid gold mask on the front of its necklace. One of the hyenas chuckled lowly as Hisako turned and ran. "Inanna!" she called as the monsters tore after her, barking and cackling, but the huge woman didn't reappear. " _Inanna_!" Hisako screamed again as they rounded a corner.

She dared a look back. The smaller one had taken the lead, easily outdistancing the larger two, and it had almost caught up to her already. Hisako dodged down a hallway that wasn't marked, hoping against hope to magically stumble upon Yuri soon.

A squawk was her only warning as she turned a corner, the black dog nearly upon her, and the two of them collided with a giant feathered thing. There was a heartstopping moment of nothing but claws and teeth and feathers as they fought to separate, and then Hisako stumbled out away. The new monster kicked the dog away with a snap of its sharp beak. This, like the hyenas, she recognized immediately, although it came from mythology books, not documentaries about the African savanna. The gryphon arched its neck back and flared out its wings, looking even larger. It was already taller than she was.

The gryphon was green and brown, and it, too, had a mask. Its beak was almost non-existent; the mask seemed to smush its face into something flat and owl-like, making it seem even more bizarre. Bizarre and dangerous, Hisako reminded herself. "Inanna?!"

The hyenas caught up, skidding to a halt with scared whines as they caught sight of the gryphon. The blonde darted past it, narrowly avoiding getting clipped with one of its massive wings. Putting it between her and them seemed like a good idea, especially since Inanna was a no-show. Irrationally, a small part of her was mad at that. She appeared, saved her from Nergal, impersonated her (or was Hisako the impersonator?), and then vanished.

The monsters behind her broke into fighting, distracting themselves from the escaping girl. She turned as many times as she could, set on putting walls and corners in between them, but that only put her in the middle of polished white walls and dark floor and distant ceiling and absolutely no directions. The blood on her leg had long since dried.

_Running is my only option, but I still need to find Yuri_ , she thought sourly. Really, she should be more frightened. She knew she should be curled into a crying ball somewhere. And she was scared, but it was just overshadowed by anger and annoyance. Anger which had really only appeared after Inanna had...

Hisako saw movement at the end of a long hallway. It made her jump again, but the figure seemed human. It was walking on two legs, at any rate. She watched it while she caught her breath, determined not to run into further danger. The figure seemed to be human... Probably male. She hadn't seen horns, but maybe they had disappeared once he had entered into Irkalla? It was better than gryphons and hyenas and jackals.

She suddenly lost her balance; the wall she had been leaning on vanished. As she faltered, she turned to stare at the wall. A giant _mouth_ had opened up on it. She snatched her hand out of it just as the teeth snapped shut. That could have taken her arm off! All around, eyes opened up on the wall, and several more mouths opened, showing off sharp teeth and lolling tongues.

She couldn't help her scream. An arm with too many joints pulled itself from the wall, reaching towards her. Hisako smacked it away and backed up—the other wall behind her stayed smooth and innocent. The hand reached for her again, making grabby hands like a child, but she was well out of its range.

Well, she had already made noise. Hisako steeled herself and ran down the corridor towards where the figure had been. It would be better than staying to find more dogs or monsters trying to eat her.

Around the corner, it was indeed a man she found. It was not, however, Yuri. Hisako jumped with a kneejerk reaction of anxious alarm at the doctor's coat. The man turned around to face her, and she could see that the masks were going to be a recurring theme of Irkalla. His was elongated into a strange caricature, mouth open with a lolling, curled tongue, eyes squinted half-shut in something like pleasure. It looked perverse.

"Hmmmmmm?" the doctor hummed with a sort of strange lilt. He sounded nearly flirtatious and it made Hisako's stomach churn. The thing looked human in all regards, aside from the monochrome mask, and it was a well-built adult male. Not exactly what she wanted to see.

Walls with mouths and eyes and hands behind her, creepy humanoid thing in front of her. And no warrior with handy blue staff to help her in sight. " _Inanna_ , if you've left me here, I will—" Okay, so she didn't have a suitable threat for a giant topless goddess. At the sound of her voice, the doctor monster trilled and lurched towards her, horrifically large scalpel in hand.

At least the wall had been stationary. The blonde turned and ran, and even with a limp she could keep ahead of him. That one, anyway; rounding a corner, hoping to lose him, she found another one. This one, while sporting an exact replica of the mask and doctor coat, was undeniably female, if the breasts nearly as big as Hisako's head were anything to go by. She skidded to a halt and ducked under the jab with the large syringe the monster had.

_Wait, syringe?_ The other one hadn't had one—Hisako yelped as the scalpel in the female doctor's other hand came down on her shoulder. The masked monster moaned breathily and forced the girl to the ground. By that point, the male doctor arrived and Hisako was fairly certain this was about the end for her. She pulled the scalpel out of her shoulder, kicking and scratching at anything within reach, and then lashed out with her new weapon.

She managed to take two fingers off of the man's hand and he didn't stop attacking. Her breath caught at seeing the digits fall so easily from his hand, but he wasn't stopping, so neither could she. Hands grabbed at her hair, her shirt, her tie, her skirt. One of them stepped on her ankle, and another tried to kick her head, and no matter how hard she slashed or punched or kicked, they weren't stopping. Her hand was slick with blood and she couldn't let up long enough to get up or wipe it off and _damn it why won't they leave me alone?!_

Finally, the scalpel was knocked out of her hand as the female doctor monster stabbed her needle into the back of it. The male stepped on Hisako's wrist to keep her arm down and the woman cupped her jaw, forcing her chin back. She cooed and traced along her skin and Hisako spat up at her. "Let me go! I have to—Get _off_ of me!"

Her bloody hand felt ice cold and the anger burning at the back of her mind finally snapped. There was a flash of light and frost and suddenly everyone was coated in ice.

Inanna stood over them. Hisako blinked up at her, not so angry any more. "You're here." She didn't feel cold, although her injuries still hurt.

Inanna snorted and nudged the male monster off of her. Once he was away from the girl, the dark-skinned goddess shattered him with a vicious blow. Hisako scrambled to her feet and shoved the female doctor off of her, and Inanna finished her off too by smashing her face.

"I'm not complaining, but I am very surprised at how easy that was for you," Hisako admitted cautiously, dusting all of the frost off of her clothes. It was melting very slowly, and actually didn't feel anything more than slightly cool to the touch. Perhaps it wasn't frost at all. She sighed and knelt back down, taking stock of her new injuries.

Inanna hovered over her. Hisako pretended not to notice and started tearing strips off of her skirt, but stories had never quite prepared her for how badly that actually worked. Few of the strips were long enough to tie around any part of her, and she had no idea what to do for her shoulder.

"So, any chance you know where Yuri-kun is?" Hisako abruptly leaned back on her hands, looking Inanna in the face. She started and frowned, physically backpedaling, and Hisako had the impression that she wasn't going to get many answers out of her. "You really won't talk to me?"

Inanna flickered irritably, as if threatening to leave again. Hisako narrowed her eyes up at her.

"Will you at least help me? There are things in here that will kill me, but you, you're strong."

Inanna preened, smiling with a closed mouth. Evidently warrior goddesses were easy to please.

Hisako fought to hide her own smile and pressed the issue. "You took out those doctor creatures with one blow. I bet you could have even fought that gryphon. I can lead the way, and I'll find my friend, but this would be faster if you'd help me."

And with that, Inanna vanished.

Hisako screamed into her palms to vent her frustration. But that only made her hand sting, and she glared at the red all over her. This would be a problem to explain to anyone, and if she got caught again without Inanna she likely wouldn't survive, but this entire trip was so ridiculous it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep normal things in perspective. Monsters weren't behaving like horror movie villains, and those that were were animals and doctors, of all things. And her only allies were gone.

So there was no way to go but forward. Hisako got up once more, straightened her uniform as best she could, and traipsed onward.

Stealth was her true friend. Many of the creatures were busy attacking others or completely didn't notice her. It wasn't as if she had a set direction to head in, either, so she didn't mind about skipping over inhabited paths to find emptier routes. She was already lost; hopefully Yuri would have some great answers for her, because she was going to need help getting back out.

She found another wall that tried to eat her, and heard another cackle of a hyena. There was an immobile cactus in a corner that she gave a wide berth, since she was fairly certain she saw something glistening on its spines, and she caught a glimpse of something down a long corridor that gave a wail and actually fled from her. It wasn't human-looking, so she didn't bother investigating.

And then, the scenery started to change.

It was difficult to place _how_ , but the floor slowly gave way into polished tile, the ceiling closed in, and the lighting became sharper until it looked like she was in a building. A real, human-made building, not some cave of horrors deep underground. Hisako wandered with curiosity and caution in equal amounts. Surely this was a good sign?

She turned into a room and suddenly found out what this was aiming to mimic. The room had one exit, was completely white with harsh lighting, and had a single painting on its far side. It was an art gallery. Hisako approached the painting, resolve strengthening as she realized that this was a sure sign of Yuri's presence. The frame was taller than she was, but the painting inside was a couple sizes too small, as if someone wanted to show it off regardless of the ill-fitting frame.

The painting itself was beautiful. It portrayed a lovely woman, curved around the left and upper edges, using her arms as the rest of the fake frame while her honey-colored hair acted as a backdrop. The entire work was done in greens and browns, giving it an earthy feel. The subject had her eyes closed and her smile was one of the prettiest things Hisako had ever seen. She had never seen any of Yuri's paintings, but she could believe that this was one of his.

"Hisako?"

She whirled around, but there was no one there. Her heart rate was through the roof again, and she could have _sworn_ she had heard someone... And her name, no less. Not even Ereshkigal or Nergal called her that. Keeping an eye over her shoulder, just in case, she turned back around to the painting. Maybe it'd have his signature, or some sort of clue.

As she faced it once more, the woman in the painting, with unhinged jaws, leaned out of it and over Hisako's head.

She threw herself backwards and managed not to get her head bitten off, but the painting had her by the hair, and the woman was still fighting to get further off of the canvas. Hisako pushed against her, but it was like digging her fingers into wet paint.

"Inanna!" she cried as she tried to pull her hair free. Astonishingly, instead of waiting around or leaving the girl to fend for herself, Hisako felt that same temperature drop and then, with a flash behind her, Inanna appeared once more.

And the giant woman just stood there.

" _Help_ me!" Hisako shouted. The painting freed one of her hands and started pulling Hisako's away from her face, starting to gain leverage.

Inanna cocked her head to one side.

"Attack it! Do something, anything!"

Inanna nodded, and then swung her staff around like a bat. She took the top of the painting's head clean off, splattering her against the floor and wall, and the rest of the body splashed onto Hisako and the floor. The actual canvas continued to bleed bits of dead shades of brown in front of her.

Hisako sat there, trying to catch her breath. Her head throbbed from all of the hair-pulling and paint was slowly dripping down her bangs and onto her cheeks. "You... You would have let me get eaten?"

Inanna squatted down beside her, dipping her fingers into the paint. It froze solid at her touch.

"Why didn't you get her off of me?"

This time, Inanna grunted. Hisako blinked up at her, surprised at the sound; she had never made any sort of real vocalization before. Mouth pressed into a thin line, she jabbed her finger at Hisako—straight into her injured shoulder. She hissed in pain, batted her away, and glared as Inanna held up a bloody finger.

She pointed down at Hisako with the same scarlet finger.

"Blood? You were—you were waiting for me to _bleed_ before attacking?"

Inanna stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked off the blood. Hisako felt ill. While it was nice to have some sort of link between when Inanna would appear and her own situation, it wasn't what she had been looking for.

"W-Well," she began shakily, "I'm still bleeding, so you can follow me for the time being. I think we're getting closer to Yuri-kun."

The labyrinth turned into something more akin to a true gallery, with a predictable floor plan and everything. There was a main hallway, with rooms lining it, and paintings within them. Most rooms only contained one work each, but there were two that were simply _covered_ in violent slashes of color. Hisako didn't venture into those rooms.

None of the other paintings tried to eat her, but she wasn't going to tempt fate by getting too close to any of them. Although from afar, most of them were pretty. The lighting got progressively dimmer, returning to the same sort of ground-level lighting near the walls, which once again took away most of her depth perception. But the overall feel of being in an art gallery persisted.

The main path twisted and as Hisako stepped around the corner, Inanna vanished. Warmth flooded back onto the scene and she fanned herself, taken aback. "Inanna?" she whispered. No response, because of course the giant blindfolded woman would take _that_ moment to respond to her. Hisako tried again anyway, " _Inanna_?"

She crept into the nearest room, keeping her distance from the painting—mostly white with a far-off figure standing near a doorway, outlined in blue—and looked down at herself. She was still injured; it wasn't as if those had gone away, as much as she wished. Okay, so she wasn't _bleeding_ , but they were going to have issues if that's the only time Inanna appeared.

Hisako grit her teeth and looked at her scraped palms. Before she could prepare herself, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. Whirling around, she found nothing. Empty room and the painting's figure was still a tiny speck. She glanced back out the door, and then cautiously approached it, hand hovering over her shoulder just in case.

It wasn't a painting. It was a _mirror_.

The blonde was first astonished at her appearance; half of her braid had come undone, dirt and blood and paint were smeared all over her, her uniform was hardly recognizable, and her eyes looked half-crazed. She laughed helplessly and after making sure the mirror was solid and not going to eat her, tried to fix herself up as best she could. Hopefully Yuri was having a better time of all this.

_Yuri, where are you?_ she thought, distressed.

Over her shoulder, something in the reflection moved.

She caught someone moving out of the doorway and by the time she turned back around, there was no one there. Even running out the door, she couldn't find any sign of man or monster. Just in case, she swiped her finger firmly against her shoulder and called out, "Inanna!"

Paying attention this time, she caught how the blood froze on her fingertip. The temperature dropped to something more comfortable and Inanna appeared in a flash of light, looking grumpy.

Hisako reached out and pressed her palm against Inanna's bare leg, just above her boot. "You're cold," she said wonderingly.

Inanna placed her hand against the wall and ice splintered out from her touch.

"Can you—is that a sort of attack?" One of the gryphons she had seen earlier had been breathing fire, so maybe this sort of stuff was normal. Could be useful. "Could you—"

She caught another flash of movement, and drawn reflexively to it, she stared at the mirror from across the room.

The doorway behind her was not empty in their reflection.

Atticus leaned out, right behind them, craning his neck around to see all of the room. Octavia had ducked under his arm and beckoned Hisako towards her with a warm smile. Inanna was still frowning down at her and didn't seem to notice.

Turning around, Hisako found the actual doorway empty. But the mirror... Cautiously she approached it again. The doorway was ringed in a soft blue glow, reminiscent of the room she normally found the twins in. She reached out and touched the mirror, but it was solid. Glancing back again, her own doorway was empty and not blue.

" _What_ is going on in this place?!" Hisako demanded, kicking the wall to vent some of her frustration. It didn't help, but Inanna cracked a smile above her. "Octavia, Atticus—is that _actually_ you two, or is this another murderous trick of the place?"

The twins leaned back into the doorway to speak, mute to the blonde. After a moment, Octavia pulled out a sheet of paper, and her brother wrote on it. Since it was a reflection, however, it turned out backwards. Hisako leaned closer to the mirror to try to read it, but Octavia smacked him upside the head, waved her arm over the blocky writing, and it magically flipped over.

'WE SAID YOU WOULD COME TO VISIT US ON YOUR OWN', it read. Hisako pressed her hand against the mirror _again_ but it was frustratingly, positively solid.

"I can't get through this. I can't walk through mirrors!" Inanna even tapped the topmost corner, and aside from coating it in a thin sheet of ice, couldn't do anything.

'NEITHER CAN WE', Atticus scrawled out.

"Let me in there!" Talking to other beings would be reassuring, not to mention helpful. Maybe she could get some answers about Inanna, or what had happened to Yuri. Ereshkigal _had_ mentioned some sort of woman involved, so surely that was the one they had wanted to warn her about? "How do I get in to you?"

'USE THE KEY TO OPEN THE DOOR'.

Because _that_ was helpful. Inanna tapped the mirror a little more forcefully. "I don't _have_ a key," Hisako muttered rebelliously, searching her pockets. None but her apartment key.

The pale-haired twins exchanged a glance. Atticus looked rather embarrassed, and Octavia pulled out something on a chain from her coat's breast pocket. She tossed it towards them, and to Hisako's great surprise, she heard a clink behind her.

A blue key on a blue chain was on the ground.

She decided then and there she wasn't going to question any more supernatural occurrences in her life, so long as they helped her.

Hisako scampered over and retrieved it, and excitedly presented it to the mirror. Which stayed nothing but a mirror. In the reflection, Octavia rolled her golden eyes and Atticus hid a grin with his shoulder. It was sort of strange seeing them so expressive, but Hisako couldn't pay much mind to that. It almost seemed as if they were teasing her.

" _Where_ do I put this key now?" she asked as calmly as she could, tapping it against the mirror.

Inanna nudged her shoulder with her knee. Hisako tried to shoo her away, but the dark-skinned woman pressed more insistently. Turning around, she finally saw what the hubbub was about: a blue doorway had taken over the room's actual doorway. The door was shut, and, looking back at the reflection once more, she found that the assistants were gone from view there, too.

Progress was progress. Hisako ran to the door, shoved the key into the lock, and entered into the Velvet Room with a huge sigh of relief.

Inanna did not follow her in. As soon as she stepped into it, there was a _tug_ and a flash of irritation, and then the giant woman was gone.

Atticus, Octavia, and Igor welcomed her into the room. The door swung shut behind her and Hisako sat down, feeling disheveled and out of place with all of the proper surroundings. Even the assistants were far more reserved in there, standing ramrod straight. Atticus had his hands clasped behind him and Octavia held a large azure tome.

"...Can I repeat that?" Hisako asked without preamble.

"Anywhere you find the door, you may enter with that key," Atticus responded. Although his grin was gone, he sounded a little pleased. Or so she hoped.

"Look for the door in reflections of your world," Octavia added helpfully. It was weird, but she could remember that. Find reflections of the door, use the key wherever it appeared. Or something like that. She'd figure it out.

"It seems as if your power bloomed even sooner than we anticipated," Igor announced and the twins fell silent, shifting backwards. He folded his hands under his absurdly long nose and inclined his head towards his guest. "You have been gifted with your Persona, as you no doubt have realized."

"Yes, that word... That's what she is? I mean, I thought of it, but..."

"Yes, the gift of Persona. You have been given this strength in order to face the tribulations that lay ahead. You have already encountered your first: your friend has been kidnapped to that deathly realm."

"Kidnapped? I saw Yuri-kun, he walked down here on... his own..." It had appeared so. Hisako trailed off, recalling those long horns of his. Had that been some sort of mark? "He had horns, is that significant?"

"Look for these signs, however they manifest, and you will find who your adversary has targeted," Igor confirmed. "We cannot directly help you to face her or her power, but we can aid you in other ways. With your first Persona," he waved his hands in the air, and a spinning blue tarot card appeared in front of her, much like the first time they had met, "you have received much more than... just..."

The card froze in midair. Its back was to Hisako; all she could see was a generic stylized mask design. Octavia tightened her gloved grip on her book and Atticus backed up another step.

The card dropped abruptly half a foot and Igor regarded Hisako over it with a scary amount of intensity. "This is not the Wild Card."

That made absolutely no sense to Hisako, but Atticus gasped and Octavia nearly dropped her book. Igor didn't bat an eye and steepled his fingers, taking a deep, tense breath. The card flipped over, showing the other three its face: an arcana card labeled 'The Fool' with a little smiling silhouette going on a journey. There was a flower in their hair and a knapsack over their shoulder.

"...You do not have the Wild Card," Igor said with the air of someone realizing they were terminally ill. Hisako reflexively scooted back in her seat. "...I'm sorry, my dear guest. There must have been some sort of mistake. I—we are here to aid in the creation and recall of multiple Personas, a skill those who possess the Wild Card may utilize. The gift of Persona is a rare gift indeed, and even rarer that humans may wield several. You are a Persona user, that much is certain, but... The rest remains to be seen. I must think on this. Atticus, Octavia, please show our guest out. Drop her off closer to her goal. If she is unsafe out there, I wish to minimize her risk."

"Yes sir," the twins murmured in unison.

"And miss, please do not fret over this stumbling block," Igor added as Hisako stood up. "I will investigate this matter personally, and I will call you back here once I have made sense of it all. But please, refrain from utilizing your Velvet Key until that time."

"Um, alright." With Octavia on one side and Atticus on the other, Hisako was escorted out of the train car, and through a doorway which seemed to be in a far different branch of the art gallery than she had left. Neither assistant seemed pleased with her now, and with grim-faced bows as farewell, they all but pushed her out the door.

So much for getting help.

-.-.-

"Yuri-kun's been kidnapped and Igor said that the horns were because of the woman—whoever she is—doing it all. Ereshkigal knew her, so that's good enough for me. She can take care of it for us, we'll find Yuri-kun, and we'll all go home happily. Right?"

Inanna said nothing.

"Right," Hisako agreed with a forced smile. Progress was progress; she knew how to keep Inanna there with her, Igor was going to look into those other problems, Ereshkigal was going to look into the land of the dead problems, and the art gallery had narrowed down to one absurdly long corridor.

She knew what happened at the end of absurdly long corridors. Boss battles, or epic showdowns, or plot twists. Sure, Nergal wasn't quite the horror movie monster she'd been expecting, but there had to be _something_ at the end of the hallway. And Igor had said that she was closer to her goal.

Positivity was about the last thing she had going for herself, but she was going to cling to it with all her might.

The hallway ended into a large open room. The floor looked closer to something out of a cave, the lights were slightly brighter, and there was a massive glowing door on the far side of the room. Just so long as it didn't try to eat her, she and the door would get along fine.

More importantly, however, was the tall figure with horns standing in front of the door.

"Yuri-kun!" Hisako burst out, stumbling into a run. Inanna floated slowly behind her, her caution lost on the girl. The figure turned halfway around, caught sight of her, and did a double take.

She didn't slow down until Yuri asked, "What are you doing here?" There was some surprise, but no warmth or gratitude. His voice was… off.

She stopped. "What do you mean? I'm here… I mean, I came down here after you." Risking a peek back her shoulder, she saw that Inanna was still keeping her distance. It dawned on her that maybe she shouldn't have been so keen on running towards the boy who had more or less been confirmed as being possessed.

Yuri looked her up and down, rather pointedly. Hisako tugged at her torn skirt and tried not to feel self-conscious about her state of disarray. He, at least, looked fine. "You're a mess."

"It's been difficult finding you," she responded warily.

"I don't want you here. I didn't ask you to come here—and you have no place here," he said with a harsh, cold tone. There was something buzzing underneath his words. It set her teeth on edge.

"What do you mean? You're standing in the middle of a maze full of monsters."

"You probably tracked your filth all over my gallery, too," Yuri muttered without seeming to hear her. Then, he gave a start, and whipped back around to face her fully. "You didn't touch my paintings, did you?"

"Um—" To be fair, it _had_ tried to eat her.

"All I wanted was a nice place to display my art. A respectful place that wouldn't disturb their beauty. It would _enhance_ them, you see?"

Hisako didn't see.

Yuri turned back towards the large door and gestured up towards it. "It's been cordoned off, but that's fine, isn't it? This is a grand place. My art will stand here forever. First, I'll just paint, but soon I'll change this place, too. It will all become beautiful."

"There are _monsters_ out there. I don't think painting will help them. Why don't we just go back out and—"

"What do you think the purpose of art is?" he snapped, cutting her off. Inanna made a low growl in her throat and crouched down beside Hisako. Yuri shook his head in agitation, like a mad dog. She suddenly got the feeling that this was spiraling, and fast. "The purpose of art is to give hope and beauty to the world. To transform it. If all is well, then it will reflect that on the outside, see?"

"I think we should both just calm down. Your paintings are very pretty, I've always thought so. But if you stay down here, you can't show anyone else."

"No one else matters!" Yuri roared and a wind whipped up out of nowhere. The horns were definitely solid now; his hair curled and swayed around them.

Inanna pressed closer to Hisako, summoning her staff, and before them, Yuri curled in on himself. He pulled at his hair but then scraped his fingers along the base of his horns, eyes shut tight against them.

"If I stay down here, I can _make_ this world beautiful and pure. I can paint over the mess and violence and monsters. I can do this, I _can_ ," he shouted over the wind. "I don't need anyone else!"

"What about your friends, your family?" Hisako called back. "Suzuka liked your paintings!" She didn't know anything about his family, and little of his friends. He was in some sort of art club, but didn't have any names of members to pull him back to reality. "What about Mika?"

Yuri froze and the wind died at once.

"I thought you were going to paint her one day," she said.

With a _crack_ , the tip of one of his horns fell off onto the ground behind him. Yuri looked up at her and she couldn't understand his expression. But before she could count it as progress, the wind returned, this time aimed at her. The gale pushed Inanna back and completely bowled Hisako over. The giant woman dug her staff into the ground and used it as a brace, then caught Hisako with her boot and dragged her back forward.

"I can bring my own beauty into this world, it's mine, it's going to be _mine_! I don't need hers, or yours, or anyone's! They don't need mine, so this is only for _me_!" Yuri roared and the wind echoed him. His voice had definitely changed now, becoming higher, more menacing, and he seemed to speak through the air around them rather than out his mouth.

He swung his arms around and too late, Hisako realized that he was actively guiding the wind. It was sharper than before, cutting into her arms and legs, as well as Inanna's. The moment it began to die down, and before Hisako could say anything, her Persona took matters into her own hand.

Perfectly mimicking his arm swing, she threw what looked like a spear of ice at him. Yuri yelped and dove out of the way, and dodged the second one with the help of his storm. "Stop it, don't kill him!"

Inanna shook her off and lobbed another chunk of ice at him.

"I order you _not_ to kill my friend!" Hisako shouted and Inanna halted. Yuri sat a distance away, blinking at the large icy spear that had almost bisected him. "Yuri-kun, you shouldn't hide away down here. Don't you want to share your art with your friends?"

"Why should I?" he muttered rebelliously, and she could have sworn his eyes flashed red.

"Because—I want to see more of your paintings. I want to go to one of your shows, and I want to see that red blotch you did of Suzuka. I want to try painting too and I had hoped you could give me advice. I just want to go back to the outside world, _with_ you, and why can't we look at that beauty instead?" Hisako pleaded.

"It's just fake and shallow," he growled. It was the only warning she received before he threw another gust of razor-sharp wind at them; Inanna ducked down in front of her, protecting her from the worst.

"No it's not!" Hisako snapped back over Inanna's hip.

"Fake and shallow just like all of the girls who want me to paint them," Yuri sneered. He swung his arms back for another gust, but Inanna beat him to the punch. She pulled her staff out of the ground, swiped it at him, and coated half of the area with frost and ice, Yuri included. He stood half-frozen, staring down at his immobilized body with shock.

"That's not what I wanted you to do," Hisako said and smacked Inanna on the thigh. The woman crossed her arms. Hisako approached him, hands up to show she meant no harm, and told him, "They're not fake _or_ shallow. They're just people."

"People can be ugly," Yuri spat venomously as he tried to scrape his arm free with his unbroken horn.

"They can be nice, too. That's why you paint, isn't it? You only paint people so you can show others their beauty," she said soothingly. She stayed out of arm's reach of him, but up close, she felt slightly better about talking him down from this.

He turned his head from her as much as the ice would allow. "You hardly know me. I just wanted a place to myself. I could turn this place into something grand, something with true worth."

"Let me get to know you better through your paintings," Hisako offered. He cracked open an eye to regard her suspiciously, so she smiled up at him. "I want to see you start one—I've never seen an artist's process before. Show me how you do it."

Yuri stared at her for a long moment. "...Why don't you want me to paint _you_?" he finally asked. His voice was almost entirely not his own, but he was really _looking_ at her, and she could see something raw in his eyes.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do with your life. I mean, aside from coming back with me, because I really don't think you should stay down here. It's dangerous and I think—Yuri-kun, I think staying down here would kill you."

"But it's _my_ land. It wouldn't kill me," he replied, perplexed.

"This is not your land," Hisako told him. And then, taking a risk (despite how she felt a jolt of panic from Inanna), she took his unfrozen hand in her own. She expected him to feel cold, or clammy, or maybe outright evil somehow, but he was warm and dry and slightly rough. "This place, it's not for us. It's bizarre and dangerous, and I wouldn't be surprised if a gryphon was eating your paintings right now."

"They wouldn't." She wasn't really surprised that he already knew about the monsters out there. Especially when his voice was soft, feminine, and familiar. But just when she thought she was making great progress with him, Yuri grasped her hand tighter and exclaimed, "I know! Stay down here with me!"

"Wh-What?" She tried to pull back, but he didn't let go. His grip bordered on painful. Not progress.

"I'll paint you! I can see it now—it'll be all glittering ice, draped in blues and it'll contrast with your light hair, bright colors like almost washed-out but—" he began to babble, and worse, his hand continued tightening on hers. Hisako tried to pull away, even bracing against the ice he was encased in, but she just managed to twist her fingers painfully.

"Yuri-kun, that hurts! Please, let go of me!"

He didn't appear to hear her. "It can be a longer canvas, using ice as a frame around it, but reflections—no, no, that wouldn't work, just keep the bright colors up—and you can stay down here with me! It'll be perfect!"

" _Ow_! Let go of me!" Inanna hovered over them, wringing her hands. It was strange seeing her temporarily unsure, but it wasn't helping the situation at all, so Hisako swung herself around to shove her Persona with her shoulder. "Stop him! Ow— _ouch_ , stop it! Let go, let go!" Something was going to give soon, and it was looking more and more like it'd be her fingers.

Still he obliviously babbled on, "I'll hang it up here, let this entire room be its reflection. Have to get the lighting up but this blasted door will work fine as a—"

"I _don't_ want you to paint me!" Hisako shouted.

After a beat, his grip went slack. She fell away from him, shaking out her hands, blinking back tears. Yuri stared at her and hurt didn't begin to describe his expression. He opened his mouth to respond, but a gust of wind knocked him on his back and sent Hisako rolling away from him with a yelp. Inanna pounced on her, covering her with her body like a shield.

This confused her until she heard Yuri's scream.

She fought to get her head out from under Inanna, but when she did, she almost wanted to duck back in. His back was arched unnaturally, his hands scratching at the stone, and his horns were breaking themselves as he thrashed. He was bleeding from the mouth and nose, but little droplets were flowing upward, hanging in the air above him.

It didn't strike her as familiar until there was a flash of light, and then _something_ pulled itself from his chest. Inanna shoved her face into the ground and Yuri's scream abruptly died.

Hisako's ears rang from the silence. But then, she realized it wasn't quite silent: a small breeze whistled around the room, and it sounded like someone was crying. "Let me up," she said and Inanna obeyed.

Yuri lay on his back, trembling violently. His tears mixed with the blood. A massive figure knelt over him, at least as tall as Inanna, but even bulkier. Male, with a mask connected to a headdress shielding his face, and a tattered white cape covering much of the rest of him.

As Hisako carefully crept closer, Yuri breathed, "Enlil," in that not-his voice.

The man reached down and grasped him by the shoulders, and then viciously pulled. Hisako started forward, but he hadn't lifted her classmate at all; another figure was pulled up and out of the same space Yuri occupied. It was a woman, a woman with a wild mass of dark hair and a threadbare traveling cloak.

"Why are you here," she said in the same voice Yuri had been using.

Enlil remained quiet. But the woman backed up as if she had received an unfavorable answer, and caught sight of Hisako and Inanna. Although like Ereshkigal before, she only had eyes for the blonde. Panic flitted across her expression and she whirled around on the spot, disappearing with a low whistle.

Yuri groaned, sounding like himself. He gingerly sat up, his horns crumbling to dust as they fell off, and Hisako took that as a good enough sign to run to him. "Yuri-kun! You're—are you alright?"

"I'm going to be sick," he eloquently answered, and then he rolled over and did just that. Enlil stood up, and the movement revealed some sort of weapon he was hiding under his cape. Hisako carefully stayed on Yuri's other side.

After a moment of fretting, she began rubbing circles on his back. She tried to ignore how red his vomit was. "Are you alright? How do you feel? Do you feel, um, normal again?"

"I feel like I swan-dove off of a skyscraper," he moaned and curled in on himself. "What happened…?"

"...It's a long story," Hisako replied diplomatically. "I'll tell you after we get out of here. I think you should be in the hospital."

"Wait, Fujihara?" He turned and squinted up at her. She tried to smile reassuringly for him. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um, came to save you?" It sounded so anticlimactic now. Although to be fair, the Enlil newcomer had done a fair share of the work. "Come on, stand up. Can you stand for me?"

She had to help him a great deal, and at one part even Enlil propped him up with a large hand, but Yuri could stand. Sort of. At any rate, he was upright, and Hisako was back to counting any little thing as progress. He wasn't possessed, his horns were gone, and he was still breathing.

He talked in little bursts as she helped him out. If only they could take another shortcut through the Velvet Room, but the gallery was mercifully empty of monsters. He didn't seem to remember much, although he did recall a strange woman (Hisako had a pretty strong guess as to who) promising him a place of his own. As they wandered through said place, he shuddered.

"And I remember you called my painting of Suzuka a 'red blotch'."

"Of course you remember that part," she said with a sigh.

Yuri chuckled weakly. Hisako risked a glance back at Enlil and Inanna, who trailed behind them silently. He was indeed larger than her, in height and muscle, and now that they were walking—well, floating after them—she could see that most of his body was clothed in white. And he had some sort of thing hooked onto his belt. Probably a weapon.

She was sharp enough to gather that this was the same type of deal as her and Inanna. A Persona. They were both roughed up enough to guarantee that they stuck around for awhile, and Hisako was sure she had never been so glad to be injured. Although, she wasn't sure she had ever been so injured. She hadn't had a particularly rough childhood.

"So, am I allowed to ask why there are giants following us yet?" Yuri broke into her thoughts, as if reading them.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"How long until the exit?"

"Long version it is," Hisako said with another heavy sigh. She recounted her fight with Nergal, describing the feeling of having Inanna claw her way out of her, and he nodded along in agreement. She described the labyrinth and all of the different types of monsters—whom they still hadn't run into thankfully—and what she had learned about the power. She even described the Velvet Room, but he seemed totally lost on that subject.

By the time she finished, her voice was hoarse and they were back into the maze proper. Yuri was leaning more heavily on her than ever, which worried her. The gallery had been a straightforward path. The exit could be anywhere from there. "Stop," he gasped out, and they took another break.

"Can't you do anything?" Hisako all but whined, craning her neck to look up at her protector. Inanna had been helpful in providing ice to place against injuries, but that was about it.

"Do they talk?" Yuri asked. He seemed a little shy around Enlil and preferred to ask Hisako most of the questions. Granted, she was practically an expert by his standards, but she really didn't feel like she knew what she was doing.

"Inanna seems to understand me, but she doesn't really _talk_. Sometimes I sort of get random feelings of irritation from her, though," she replied with a shrug. And on cue, she felt a little prick of annoyance in the back of her mind.

"Can you do anything to help?" he asked.

Enlil pulled his weapon from his waist, and contrary to Hisako's thoughts, it was not in a sheath. It was actually just a large paintbrush with fanned-out bristles at the end. She covered her mouth to hide her smile and she thought she saw Yuri blush a little.

"Yes, well, yours is topless so I don't see how—" he cut off with a splutter as Enlil unceremoniously painted a slash of mint green over half of Yuri's body. He flailed and shook his head, rubbing at his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth. "What was that for?!"

"Did it help?"

"It was disgusting!" Yuri shook his head and then froze. He looked down at his hands, and then shook them out again. "...I feel better," he said with awe.

"It actually helped?" Hisako echoed, no less surprised than he. Inanna leaned over her shoulder with curiosity. Yuri looked over his body, wiggling random parts without wincing.

"Yeah, I think so. Can you do that to her, too?" he asked, pointing at her.

Before Hisako could protest—and she had a small suspicion that Yuri only did it to share in the paint mess, although she had already gotten hers in that gallery of his—she received a face full of paint. It tasted foul, but it was surprisingly light, drying in seconds. And she _did_ feel better. Her shoulder stopped aching and the scrapes on her palms actually disappeared.

"They do different things, right? It looks like mine is magic," Yuri remarked, but he sounded pleased. He stood up, on his own, and only then winced. "Alright, I'm a little dizzy. I think—let's not do that again."

"Okay." It was easier going now that they could walk without limping, but they were still lost. Neither Persona could help them with that, but eventually Yuri decided to have Enlil mark paths they had already been down. It cut down on backtracking and circles.

There was no real sense of time; it all dragged on with conversation and walking. The labyrinth was entirely devoid of other beings, however, which Hisako was thankful for, although it did mean she felt somewhat crazy when describing to Yuri what she had been facing up until she found him.

And then, she caught a glimpse of the outer wall. Hisako broke into a run with a wordless shout, and without asking, Yuri started after her. It took another bit of circling around to get to the actual exit, but considering the fact that she was beginning to believe that they'd be trapped down there forever, she was glad they made it out at all.

She ran straight out. Yuri ran out far enough to catch a look at Nergal, yelped, and then ran back in. "Wait, Yuri-kun! He's on our side!"

"Is this the one you were looking for?" Nergal asked, clearly curious but restraining himself in order not to frighten him further. Such a polite guardian.

"Yes, this is Yuri Kikuchi. And Yuri-kun, this is Nergal. He guards this place and he sort of helped me, after he figured out what I was doing."

"He's not human," Nergal sniffed.

"He is too human," Hisako replied dangerously. With the end within sight, she was not about to get into this argument again. And maybe having both Inanna and Enlil there gave her some courage on the matter.

"Whatever you believe," the lion-headed man replied tactfully. "Are you departing from Irkalla now?"

" _Yes_ , thankfully," she said as she dragged Yuri back out of the maze. "Come along, he won't hurt us."

"Weren't you just telling me earlier—"

"Shh. It was a misunderstanding."

"I bid you two farewell," Nergal called after them. Yuri seemed glad to be leaving his presence, although the winding staircase gave him some pause.

Nergal stated that he hadn't seen Yuri enter, and Yuri hadn't recognized him at all. But Hisako didn't see how _else_ he could have gotten in, really. Surely the whole possession issue had something to do with it, but there was still only one entrance to Irkalla.

_Oh well_ , Hisako thought wearily. _That can be figured out later. After sleep._ With her injuries in a better state than before, rest was the only thing on her mind. Rest and a doctor's visit, but mostly just rest. The grave they entered in was still open, and they broke into sunlight. She was surprised; surely more time than that had passed? Unless— _no way we were in there all night!_

"What time is it…?" Yuri asked, shielding his eyes from the afternoon light.

Their phones beeped as service returned, and Hisako was perplexed to find it about the same time as she had followed him in. Exactly a day had passed? No, the date was the same.

"...Wait." _No_ time had passed? "I don't—how does that work?" Hisako exclaimed, shaking her phone. It remained the correct date and time.

"I don't remember much of… today," Yuri admitted. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, suddenly looking rather pale. "But isn't it a good thing we don't have to explain where we were?"

"...I suppose." She was going to stop questioning the supernatural goings-on around her. For real this time. Hisako helped him out of the grave, noting how he wobbled a bit. Dried paint flaked off of him, disappearing as he clambered out of the hole. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I… don't know. Where is Enlil?" The pair paused, looking about for their Personas. No sign of either of them. She looked back down into the stairwell, but that was nothing but darkness. "Are they gone?"

"They must be…"

"I feel like before." They barely made it back to the main path before he had to sit down. He was sweating and very pale, and Hisako was beginning to feel a little warm as well. "This is real, right?"

"Yes, this is real."

"It all happened?"

"Yes. I think so."

"I'm going to be sick again." He staggered to the nearest bush and threw up. Hisako cringed at doing that in a cemetery, but what other choice did he have? She ignored the sound, feeling her own stomach churn, and helped him along the path afterward. He was leaning heavily on her again.

During their next break, where Hisako was definitely sweating and feeling sick and Yuri dry-heaved once more, she sensed that this wasn't going to go away. She had to get him help, but the graveyard was empty, as it was before. They made it to the street again, and she barely made it to the trashcan on the corner before it was her turn to be sick. Yuri had collapsed against the metal fence behind him, eyes shut as his head lolled.

Hisako remembered she had a working cell phone again, but dropped it with her sweaty hands. "D-Damn it." Was she shaking? This was worse than she thought, and the chances of getting out of this mess relatively safely was dwindling. Without their Personas, they couldn't fix themselves, and she could barely press buttons on her phone.

Her call went through just as Hisako collapsed. The operator on the other line asked what her emergency was, but she could only breathlessly whisper at that point. Her throat felt like it was closing up and her vision was swimming.

After everything, she might just die on an empty sidewalk in the middle of the city. No Inanna to save her this time.

Dimly, she heard shouting, and then became aware of someone helping her to sit up. Progress.

Hisako passed out.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Harebrained

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+5)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★☆☆☆☆ (+5)  
-Tolerant


	4. Garudyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a painter wonders what's happened and a transfer gains a Magician.

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

…

Yuri awoke to an itchy hand. Scratching it, he cursed and found the source of the itch-turned-pain: he had an IV. He followed the tube up towards the bag hanging near his head. Clear liquid, but the label was turned away from him. He could only see that, so it seemed to be only fluids.

He had a bit of a headache, and now his hand sort of hurt, but otherwise, he felt fine. Unlike before, he recalled everything fairly clearly. His hospital room was empty for the moment, and he didn't feel the need to alert the nurses while he pieced together the story.

They escaped that place, their Personas vanished, and did their effects go with them? Or was something else to blame? Hisako must have gotten them to a hospital, at any rate, and now he just had to figure out how much to tell certainly curious doctors and family. How much had she told them? Surely she hadn't told them everything…

Before he saw anyone else, he had to talk to her. But he didn't have her number, and unless she visited him, he was out of luck. But at least chances of that were high.

It wasn't long before a nurse bustled in, clipboard in hand. He looked surprised at first to see Yuri awake, but then relaxed into a bright smile. "Ah, good, you're up! How are you feeling?"

"A little tired," Yuri fielded. "Thirsty."

"That makes sense. You were severely dehydrated."

"What else?"

"Oh, um. Dehydration was your main issue—your body seemed to be purging itself of something, but we couldn't identify what. Do you remember eating or drinking anything strange?"

"No, nothing out of the usual…" Confused doctors were easy doctors. Or so he hoped. If they hadn't found anything, that was good, although what _could_ they find? Strange injuries? Did Enlil paint his name across his forehead or something? Yuri looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. A little fatigued, but otherwise, he felt fine. "Did a girl named Hisako Fujihara visit me?"

"Fujihara? Ah, she's next door to you. You two are classmates, correct?"

"Next door?" Yuri repeated with alarm. He hadn't counted on her being hospitalized as well. It would make sense for them both to be affected, but she had seemed fine… Granted, his memories after exiting that place were fuzzy at best, but up until that point, she had been consistently doing better than he.

"Similar symptoms. The school has been contacted, but there is no reason to believe that it's any sort of virus or bacteria. Both of your systems are now clean, of course," the nurse mused aloud as he attached a new bag of fluid to the stand. "We had worried, at first, but given that you had matching symptoms, it ruled out a lot of things."

"Is she awake?" He still had to figure out their story.

"Not right now, although she woke up for a little bit earlier today."

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet. I'm sure the doctor would like to speak with you, and I know she didn't want you up and around until you have some food in your system. And that you can keep it down. Do you feel queasy at all right now?"

"Not right now." As soon as food was mentioned, in fact, his stomach rumbled loudly. The nurse smiled again. "Has anyone from my family stopped by?"

"Earlier this afternoon. You may call them, if you'd like."

"After I eat something, if that's alright," Yuri replied quickly. It'd buy him some time; his parents would be far nosier than the doctors. "Can I give you a note to give to Fujihara?"

"I'm not sure when she'll wake up again, but yes, you may." He retrieved a pad of paper and a pen for him, and then went out to page someone for some food. It would likely just be some broth, but for a moment, Yuri allowed himself to think of something more substantial.

Now, how to give Hisako a note without arousing suspicion.

Yuri scribbled out his best likeness of Enlil. He thought it looked rather good, considering it was completely from memory. Next to it, he wrote out several question marks. If nothing else, at least he'd know where she stood on that issue.

The nurse mused that it was a good drawing, and Yuri could see he was dying to ask about it. He couldn't see how that drawing could result in charges of insanity, so he let him wonder away. And sure enough, Yuri got broth for his troubles.

Hisako was still napping, but he could eat in the meantime. And the staff seemed pleased that he kept down the soup rather well. He was even given some crackers. _Since when is not getting sick considered good behavior?_ Yuri thought sourly. He'd never really been hospitalized before, much less in such a strange situation. And the meager meal had only served to make him hungrier.

As he was pleading his way into more food, an aide ducked her head in and announced that he had a visitor. Yuri had one moment of sheer panic— _what am I going to tell my parents oh no_ —but then that was overwhelmed by a different sort of alarm when his visitor was revealed to be Hisako's father.

"Yuri Kikuchi-san, right?" the man asked politely, sitting with a fair amount of distance between him and the bed. Yuri nodded mutely. "I'm Koichi Fujihara. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Well, he saw where Hisako got her manners. And her wavy hair. "Likewise," he croaked out. If Hisako had been awake, and if she had been talking to him, how was he supposed to know what to say?

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"I understand that you're one of my daughter's friends. A classmate, right?"

"Yes. Sir." Oh yeah, this was going swimmingly.

Koichi regarded him for a moment. Yuri felt like he was sweating bullets. But just as the man opened his mouth to undoubtedly ask something that Yuri would just as undoubtedly incriminate himself with, the nurse came back in with a banana, a piece of toast with peanut butter, and a return note from next door.

"Hisako's awake again?" Koichi asked in surprise as Yuri eagerly unfolded the note. His drawing of Enlil had been firmly crossed out. Definitely no supernatural talk, then. It wasn't a big surprise, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Yes sir. She's feeling hungry again as well, so we'll give her some food. You're welcome to visit her again once you're done here."

"Can I see her after this?" Yuri asked. Talking in front of her dad would be better than not talking at all.

The nurse gave Koichi a look. He understood that he was her father and all, but it felt a little too probing for that to be all there was to it. "I don't see why not," Koichi replied easily, diffusing the tension. "I'll be over shortly."

Yuri chewed his food slowly to avoid having to say anything. Hisako would tell him if there was something else going on, wouldn't she?

"Is Hisako happy at school?"

He coughed on his toast. He had been worried about how they ended up there, and her father was simply interrogating him about Hisako's school life? Oh well, he could work with that. "Yes. I mean, I think so."

"I don't mean to pry, but is she making friends? Is she getting along well with your class?"

"Yes, very well. She has a couple other friends in our class that I know of."

Koichi visibly relaxed back into his chair. "I see. Thank you. I'll leave you to your food, and I'm sure Hisako would be happy to see you."

Yuri managed to restrain his relieved sigh until after the man left. Maybe whatever cover story she had come up with was satisfactory enough to give him something else to think about? He felt better about everything with solid food in his stomach, and the nurse seemed equally happy that he wasn't nauseous in the least. After a little more pleading and a demonstration of how he could stand on his own (although he was a little dizzy at first), he was allowed to visit her.

"Ma-chan, you know I'll worry about these things. If it had been the—" Both Koichi and Hisako jumped at the knock on the door. Yuri almost wished he could have heard the end of the sentence, but the aide probably wouldn't have supported his eavesdropping.

_Wait, why am I eavesdropping on Fujihara?_ Yuri realized with revulsion. Just because they had gone through that together, he shouldn't intrude on her privacy. They hardly knew each other.

Guilt settling in his stomach, Yuri nodded at the equally bright smiles father and daughter gave him. "Yuri-kun! I'm glad to see you're awake," she said happily. He seated himself in the far chair and felt awkwardly detached.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still hungry. But how are you doing?"

"Better," he replied vaguely. She gave him a tiny nod indicating her understanding.

Just as he was worrying about how to start asking her questions in front of her father, Hisako turned to him and asked, "Papa, can I talk to Yuri-kun alone for a moment?"

"...What about?" he asked with amusement. Hisako colored and Yuri shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Papa! It's not like that, now shoo before you embarrass me further!" And he actually left them alone. He was far more trusting than either of Yuri's parents, that was for sure. She sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry about that. He likes to tease me sometimes."

"It's alright."

"Are you _really_ doing alright?"

"Yeah, of course. Although, I'm worried about what you've told the doctors."

"I haven't told them much," she admitted as she wrung her fingers, "just that you weren't feeling well so I decided to follow you from the school. It explained why we were together and how you collapsed, at least."

"What about you?"

"I just told them I wasn't feeling well. Honestly, I don't really understand what happened. For a little while, I think they were worried about it being something contagious, but of course we've tested negative for everything…"

He leaned forward in his chair and lowered his voice. "They're going to ask us more questions."

"I know," she whispered back. "What do you want to tell them?"

"What _can_ we tell them? Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll believe it was heatstroke."

"Maybe…"

"We could always say it was stress," Yuri suggested. He didn't know what else they could say it was. "I have an art show coming up, and you just moved. It could work."

"Maybe," she repeated.

They went back and forth on various reasons, but neither could come up with anything more solid than stress. With no other routes, they agreed to be vague and run with it. They didn't talk about anything else that had happened. The staff wanted them to stay overnight just to make sure they were alright, and Yuri finally called his parents to tell them he was awake.

They were naturally worried and fussed over him endlessly. He couldn't answer their questions, which only made everyone frustrated, but he was used to that, at least. His mother even tried to beg the doctors to let him return home that night, but to no avail. He was secretly a little glad. Despite being out of it for a day and a half, he was still pretty tired.

-.-.-

Sunday, April 13th, 2014

…

It was two in the morning, her hospital room was dark, and Hisako had a visitor in the form of the creepy well-dressed man.

She could've screamed. But she didn't. "What are you doing here?" She wasn't sure what had woken her exactly, but she was somehow sure that he had never touched her.

"I've come to make sure you're recovering, my dear," he replied somberly.

"...You know what happened?"

"Of course. I'm sorry it had to happen at all, Inanna." A shiver went up her spine at the name. Oh yes, he definitely knew plenty about the situation.

"What is your name? Who are you?"

A sad expression flitted across his face, but then he just smiled tiredly. "You really don't remember, do you." It wasn't a question. "My name is Dumuzi. It was my sister who tried to take the human."

"Why did she try to take him?"

"She is trying to change her role. She is tired of living in Irkalla, and wishes to be free, to exact her revenge."

"So she kidnapped and possessed my friend?"

"She did not anticipate Enlil's appearance," Dumuzi replied as he ran a hand through his swept-back hair. It only mussed it. "Nor did I."

"How do you know about him," Hisako hissed.

"He appeared, did he not? It wasn't difficult to notice," he deadpanned. She regarded him suspiciously. He was giving her answers, but in a very frustrating manner. And she still wasn't sure where he stood. Unlike his sister, or any of the other inhuman creatures, she had never seen him in Irkalla. Yet he clearly knew about its goings-on.

"Do you know what a Persona is?"

"A what?" he asked blankly. He was either a very good liar, or Hisako had knowledge he did not. Then again, Ereshkigal and Nergal had addressed her as Inanna like he did, but she had never asked them about Personas. She should have asked Nergal on the way out—well, she should have asked him a lot more. Had he known that leaving Irkalla would've nearly killed them?

"Do you know Ereshkigal and Nergal?"

"Of course."

"Would you do me a favor, Dumuzi-san?"

He smiled sadly at her again. "You do not have to be so formal with me, my dear."

She was momentarily caught between being nice and keeping a distance. "...Alright, Dumuzi. Would you please not visit Enlil?"

"I was not planning on it. He and I have never gotten along."

That kept Yuri in the clear, but it bothered her that he talked about their Personas as if they _knew_ them. Whenever Igor let her back into the Velvet Room, she'd have to ask him about that. "Would you, um, please leave now? I'd like to sleep again." His presence made her feel off-kilter, not to mention the problems it would create if he was found in there with her.

"Of course. Sleep well, my dear Inanna."

He leaned down and kissed her on her hair. Hisako bristled, momentarily frozen in her shock, and he departed. That had been wrong and intrusive, and made her feel even worse.

But why did a small part of her feel so sad?

-.-.-

"I can't believe you were worried about _socks_!" Suzuka exclaimed between giggles. She had her arms around Hisako, laughing and all but nuzzling her, and Yuri couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Hisako seemed with the physical contact. "Yesterday I thought you were blowing me off, but I find out you were in the _hospital_ , and you just apologize about the socks!"

"Um, well, they were yours, and the hospital threw them away…"

"The sooner you accept that she was more worried about you than the socks, the easier the rest of this meal will be," Mika said coolly.

Yuri also noticed that Hisako hadn't mentioned that the socks in question had been torn, bloody, and full of paint. The hospital staff had been particularly confused about that. Scraped knees explained the first two, but the paint had been fun to explain away.

It felt bizarre, having lunch like this. In the real world, surrounded by people, under the sun and clouds and eating actual food again. Suzuka and Haruka had invited them both out to celebrate their release from the hospital. Yuri wasn't sure how Mika had gotten invited, and he couldn't tell if she was glad or not he was there, but he felt reassured by her presence.

She looked up from her tea and caught his eye. Yuri quickly looked away. "At least you two managed to get sick close to a weekend. Hardly have to catch you up on English any more than I already had to," Haruka said with a nod, unaware of the tension.

"Oh yeah, when are we going to have that study party?" Suzuka asked and broke away from Hisako.

"I thought it was going to be closer to finals," Mika replied.

"You're supposed to be excited for the excuse for a sleepover," Suzuka replied with fake annoyance.

"When did it get promoted to a sleepover?" Hisako asked, alarmed. "This is sounding less and less like studying will get done."

"Just now, I'm guessing," Haruka replied and Suzuka beamed. All the answer they needed.

Yuri didn't mind being left out. Mika wasn't saying terribly much either, anyway. He was decent in English and had other things on his mind. Like wondering if he could paint Inanna from memory or what Mika thought of he and Hisako being hospitalized at the same time.

"We could have it at my place. We have a big house and okay, maybe my room is a little messy, but there is plenty of room for sleeping!" Suzuka suggested eagerly.

"Are you sure we wouldn't be imposing?" Mika asked.

"Not at all! Haruka comes over all the time and my grandparents love her."

"It's true. They want me as their new granddaughter," she said and swiped one of her braids over her shoulder with faux airiness. Suzuka elbowed her and they both ended up in more giggles.

The food was finished and Yuri had to beg out of seeing a movie with them. He was honestly a little surprised Hisako didn't try to escape as well, but they were friendlier with her than they were with him. Mika declined their invitation too, and after they parted ways, the two were left alone.

"Can I walk you home?" Yuri burst out before he could talk himself out of it.

"Would you like to get some ice cream first? I couldn't help but notice how quickly you ate." She was acting cool towards him, but half of that was her normal nature. As far as Mika went, she was being exceedingly kind to him. Probably because of the whole hospitalization issue, but it was nice not to be shouting at each other.

She paid for both of their cones and they walked along the edge of one of the city's smaller parks. For awhile, they walked in silence. He knew she particularly liked that park, but it had been awhile since he himself had visited it.

As they passed an area with thicker foliage, Yuri paused. The greens and the way the light looked on the trunks reminded him of… something. Someone leaning over his shoulder, him looking at a blank canvas, whispering in his ear, " _You can do anything you like down here. You would rule it. You may spend all your time painting only the most beautiful—_ "

"Are you alright?"

Yuri gave a start and turned to Mika. "What?"

"I asked if you were alright. On Friday, you seemed a little strange, frankly speaking," she said. He blinked and shook his head.

"Uh, yeah. I think so."

"You think so?"

"I don't really remember much of Friday," he admitted. "How did I seem strange?"

Mika's eyes narrowed and he knew he had somehow gotten himself into trouble. It was so easy to do with her. "What exactly happened to you?"

"I collapsed and ended up in the hospital because of dehydration, I told you."

"Why were you with Fujihara?"

"She's the one who found me."

"That didn't answer me—"

"Why are you so suspicious?"

"Why are _you_ hiding things?" Mika finally asked. She had stopped walking and crossed her arms, ice cream dripping down the side of her cone. "I know you, Yuri Kikuchi, and I know when you're avoiding things. Something happened and you don't want anyone to know."

He wavered momentarily between alarm and surprise; he was scared she immediately knew something was up either way. So he did what he normally did, which was blurt out the first thing to come to mind. "It's _not_ like that, Mika. You know it's not, but you just want an excuse to hate me."

As soon as he saw her reaction, he wished he could take it back. Mika turned completely from him but Yuri reached out for her all the same.

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that."

"No, you did. You always say the things you mean," she replied stiffly. "You don't have to answer me, you already did. I hope you're happy with her."

"It's _not_ like that!" Yuri repeated as she began to walk away.

"Isn't it? You skirt-chaser. I'm surprised you didn't want to go to the movie with them. Surrounded by cute girls, a dream come true for you," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Am I ever going to be anything but a pervert or a jerk to you?"

"I don't know, are you?"

"She doesn't want me to paint her!" Yuri exclaimed and Mika stopped walking. He groaned; of course that worked. "Fujihara and I are just friends. Friends who happened to get stupidly sick together. She's not like you—" He cut himself off before he had to shove his foot further down his throat.

"...Not like me how?" she asked, turning back around to face him.

"She doesn't call me a pig on a regular basis."

"You jerk!" she all but shrieked and resumed her storming off.

"See?! All you do is yell at me."

"And all you do is insult me! Now stop following me you dishonest pig!"

Yuri let her walk away. Watching her storm off into the greens and browns of the trees, he remembered two things. He remembered when they used to be best friends, and he remembered that he had tried to paint her in Irkalla.

-.-.-

Monday, April 14th, 2014

…

"Ohh, this is an interesting one. No base sketch?" Yuri didn't bat an eye when Shunya leaned down into his personal space. The third-year student was always doing that, and he was president of the art club, anyway. It wasn't like Yuri could complain.

"This is from memory. Stress relief." He was seeing if he could paint Enlil, but it wasn't working out too well. Granted, all he had was some white blobs in the vague shape of a man against a swath of dark grey, but it already felt off. He could tell he wasn't going to be happy with the end product.

"I heard you were sick over the weekend. Feeling alright now, right?" Shunya asked cheerily and leaned back out of Yuri's bubble.

"I suppose."

He had hoped that he'd just leave, but to his dismay his elder just sat down on the nearest stool, leaned forward, and did that watching thing of his. Yuri didn't particularly mind when people watched him work—certain people aside—but he really didn't like Shunya's watching thing. He'd just sit there with overly wide eyes and a little smile and it was like he was absorbing everything he could.

Yuri resisted the urge to flick paint at him.

The absolutely worst part was that he very rarely asked any questions. Yuri could handle questions. He could not handle silence in company. The quiet stretched between them, and grew until it muffled out the chatter of the couple other students in the room.

He struggled to concentrate solely on painting. _Try to remember Enlil's headdress_ , he told himself, but Shunya's eyes on him seemed to be burning holes into his shoulder.

"His name is Enlil and he has this dumb headdress," he blurted out and immediately after clapped a hand over his mouth. Shunya cocked his head to the side with a cheery smile.

And still didn't say anything.

Yuri nervously swallowed down more confessions. Between Mika extracting information via arguments and Shunya getting it via Yuri's inability to handle silence (and keeping secrets), he had a sinking feeling about the whole Irkalla ordeal. His hand shook as he blocked out where the headdress would roughly go. He could do it later. That jaw needed work, oh yes it did. No—the eyes. No, those were behind the mask, but his upperclassman's eyes were boring into his side.

"I normally like painting faces," he said, but unfortunately followed it soon after with, "but his was always half-hidden from view. It was frustrating, almost as frustrating as you're being right now."

"But I like watching your creative process," Shunya replied brightly.

"Senpai, you're being really invasive about it." Nevermind the fact that he was sweating bullets. Normally, his presence wasn't so off-putting, but when he had a secret weighing on him, matters worsened.

"He just seems like such an interesting character. You look like you've put a lot of thought into this." The club president mercifully stood up, however. Patting Yuri on the shoulder, he told him, "I'm sure I'll like the final product. Good luck figuring him out, Yuri-kun."

Yuri flicked paint at him as he departed. He missed, but it made him feel better. Stupid invasive upperclassmen. Stupid Shunya for showing interest in the one personal painting he didn't want to talk about. Stupid Shunya for always being the one to show interest, anyway.

He slashed across the canvas with a dark green. Enlil's face was entirely covered.

He had to talk to Hisako.

-.-.-

Tuesday, April 15th, 2014

…

Mika's glare was particularly sharp that morning. He had no idea if she and Hisako had talked, or whatever girls did, but they both seemed unusually distracted in class. Twice he caught the blonde's head bobbing like she was struggling to stay awake.

At lunch, he swooped in and separated her from Suzuka before the latter could drag her off. "We have to talk."

"I agree," she replied with a yawn.

Yuri deflated. He'd had several reasons built up for why they had to discuss what had happened, and maybe he was just unused to people agreeing with him right away. He trailed behind as she strode out into the courtyard. She sat primly on one of the further benches and gestured for him to join her. And, irrationally, he wanted to refuse. What if Mika saw them together?

"It's almost amusing, you know," Hisako said with a wry smile. "You two are so hypersensitive to the other but can't stand being in the same room."

"Well, she certainly can't stand me…" She made a noncommittal sound in reply and pursed her lips. Yuri switched gears, not really wishing to talk about the other girl right then, and said, "I think we should visit Irkalla again."

"So you can't stop thinking about it, either?"

"No. I've even been having dreams about it." More like nightmares, but those would pass. He hoped. He continued, "We don't know what that place is, but there's obviously something going on with it. I think—I mean, there had to be a reason I ended up down there, and we both received this strange power…"

"...There _is_ something going on," Hisako said in a small voice. Yuri sat down beside her and leaned in as she continued to speak in that same low tone. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been completely honest with you, and there have been some, um, developments."

"Developments?" he echoed in surprise.

She launched into a tale of a strange gentleman who had called her Inanna before any of that started, and how he had admitted that it was his sister behind Yuri's abduction, and that he had visited Hisako the past several nights to make sure she was feeling okay. "And honestly, he's really very strange, but at the same time, I'm not really _afraid_ of him anymore. Every time he leaves, I just have this sorrow in me that I can't explain or understand," she concluded, breathless from her explanation.

"Wait, so… Dumuzi's sister was the one who dragged me into Irkalla, and he thinks she's trying to swap places with me? How is he wandering around up here if she's stuck down there, then?" Yuri asked, still reeling.

"I have no idea. He mentioned something about a deal. But Yuri-kun, you're not realizing the problem here."

"Beyond the obvious?"

"If she's trying to find someone to take her place in Irkalla, how did she get up here to find you?" Hisako asked solemnly.

He had no answer for her, but it made him feel uneasy.

"I would like to try to return to Irkalla again. We can ask Nergal or Ereshkigal about it, and hopefully they can answer more of these questions. I just don't feel that this has ended, even if you are safe."

"Yeah. I think I want some closure with this whole Persona thing, too. I feel like Enlil is still… _there_ , somehow, and it's not always a reassuring feeling." From her expression, he could tell that she knew what he was talking about. Which was a relief, because he had no idea how to explain the feeling any better. It was as if some part of him had been taken out, reformed, and placed shoddily back in, but yet wasn't in him at all, but he wasn't empty, either. Yuri rubbed his temples just thinking about it. "But what if we wind up in the hospital again?"

"I was thinking we ought to do it reasonably soon, _because_ of that. If we do, then we can just say it was more stress, or we weren't over it completely. It would be better now than in a week or two."

He could see the logic in that. "Alright, so when, then?"

"...Well," Hisako began with a too-innocent look, "I don't have anything going on after school today."

"...I don't have art club," Yuri agreed reluctantly.

"And if we're both free, and we're both willing, and we both think that no more time should pass…"

"Let's just go today."

While he had been willing to go again, actually acknowledging that they were was another problem. She had described so many monsters, and that guardian still didn't have his trust. He could hardly concentrate on his afternoon classes. They had ended up hospitalized after the last trip. The prospect of facing that again warred with his desire for closure.

Yuri was simply not an impulsive creature by nature. But putting it off would make it worse, so he waited for Hisako by their lockers. Mika miraculously didn't catch him. The blonde soon appeared and as they took cover in the crowd of departing students, he realized he didn't remember which way he took. He remembered being there, and he remembered some sort of trip, but the memories themselves came and went, fuzzy all the while.

Hisako was lost in thought for most of the walk. Silence was alright in reasonably small doses, but not when he was feeling so jittery. That corner seemed familiar, but he recalled it being saturated with the sense of freedom. The street they were on, darkened by the tall buildings on either side, seemed overly bright compared to his memory.

"Your father visited me in the hospital," Yuri said suddenly.

Hisako turned to look up at him, looking absolutely horrified by the prospect. "He— _what_?"

He regretted his big mouth and had to avoid her gaze. "It was just before I visited you. It was a short conversation."

"What did you two talk about?" she asked and she still sounded scared.

He thought about trying to crack a joke but he had a feeling it would backfire. He shouldn't have brought it up at all. "He just asked if you were making friends. If you seemed happy at school. I said you did."

"...He worries so much." He risked a peek down at her and she had relaxed into a smile and a sort of wistful look. That was infinitely better. "I'm sorry, Yuri-kun. Papa tends to dig into my life at times. But thank you."

"It wasn't a problem. I just, um, thought you should know," he said and the lie tasted bitter. It was harmless questioning by her father, and he hadn't meant to bring it up at all. He was just trying to keep an eye on her. He knew the feeling.

"You're a nervous talker, aren't you?"

"Wh-What?" he asked, taken aback.

Hisako squinted up at him, but she was still smiling. "Mika-chan mentioned it, too. She said you don't know how to handle silence."

"I can handle silence," Yuri replied tersely.

"Sorry."

Half-memories of walking up that hill surfaced and he shook his head to clear them. They still left a heavy feeling in his stomach.

"It's just my father and me right now, which is why I think he worries so," Hisako said without warning. It took him a moment to realize that she had changed the subject back for his benefit. She didn't look at him and instead fiddled with her sleeves. "You're the first classmate of mine he's met from this school, so I think he was a little desperate to find out how I was adjusting."

"What happened to your mother?" he asked thoughtlessly. Life needed an undo button and Yuri fought with himself for asking as well as the creeping sensation of dread as the cemetery came into view at the top of the hill.

"She's still alive. She just left us when I was younger. She's actually a very good fashion designer, she has two of her own lines." Her voice was tinged with pride, not sorrow. Hisako gave her mother more credit than Yuri could. But he didn't want to pry any further into private matters.

"My parents are protective of me just because they like all the awards I win. At least your dad actually cares."

"I'm sure your parents care about you!" Said the girl whose mother left. Yuri at least was able to keep that remark to himself.

"You're a lot less cynical than I am."

"You're not all that bad. I think you're actually very hopeful," Hisako said brightly. He could tell her cheer was forced. He was fairly certain her hands were shaking as she pushed the cemetery's gate open.

"How am I hopeful?" Yuri felt anything but hopeful as she led him through all of the graves. Something pressed on the back of his mind.

"You still try to maintain some sort of speaking terms with Mika-chan. You wanted to decorate Irkalla and keep the monsters away. You think we're not doing something really dumb right now."

"I do think we're doing something dumb."

"You're still doing it with me," she said with a wry smile. She stopped them in front of a large stone sarcophagus of some sort. They both stared at it. Neither moved.

Yuri forced himself to move first. He placed a hand on the lid and it glowed briefly, making them both jump, and then slid open. Hisako was still frozen to the spot so he grabbed her hand. "We've already come this far. We may as well get the answers we want while we're at it," he told her with a bravery he certainly wasn't feeling.

She stared at him for a long moment, and then flinched back. She shook her head without explaining and followed him down the stairs.

They were nearly at the bottom before he remembered to let go of her hand.

The pressure at the back of his brain intensified, and when he turned back to ask her about it, he found her staring at a blue card. "What's that?"

"You didn't hear that, did you," she said sadly.

"Hear what?"

"I think it's yours." She showed him the front and he realized it was a tarot card. It depicted two hands holding an open flame way too close to someone's face for safety. "It's the Magician."

"Are you into tarot?"

"...Not yet," she mumbled with a frown. She stowed it in her jacket pocket and while he was incredibly curious about that, he let the matter drop. They needed to answer the older mysteries before pursuing the newer ones.

Yuri jumped when the giant lion-headed guardian swooped down to land beside them. And he might have hid behind Hisako. Nergal cocked his head with what looked suspiciously like a smirk. "I had not expected to see you again so soon."

"Well, we hadn't, either. But we have some important questions to ask you," Hisako replied.

"I will answer to the best of my abilities," Nergal said with another incline of his head. He folded his massive wings and sat stiffly on the ground. Hisako followed his lead and Yuri was left standing awkwardly. He wanted to be able to move quickly, just in case, but he wanted to be the odd man out even less.

"It's Dumuzi's sister who took Yuri-kun, wasn't it?"

"It is very likely."

"Dumuzi told me himself that it was," Hisako said darkly and Nergal's eyes widened.

"You have spoken to him recently?"

"Yes. He keeps visiting me, apologizing, and he mentioned that there was a deal that _should_ be keeping his sister trapped down here."

"...There is." Nergal was on guard, Yuri realized. His posture was even stiffer than before, and the way his wings kept twitching, he was agitated, too. "Dumuzi as well. Ereshkigal keeps one in Irkalla at all times."

"I saw both of them up in our world, fighting. Something's gone wrong if she's broken it."

"She has not broken any law!" Nergal roared and both kids tensed up. Hisako's nails were digging into her leg.

_We summon our Personas through blood_ , Yuri recalled and chewed on the inside of his cheek. He didn't like the thought that Hisako—who was supposed to be the clear-headed interrogator—was preparing for a fight. He also didn't like that Nergal was yelling at them to begin with. They just wanted some answers, and _they_ were the victims there, not the monster.

"I would know if Ngeshtin-ana or Dumuzi had been freed from their bonds. Neither have escaped their fate," Nergal growled. The two stared at him.

"...Ne—what now?" Yuri asked dumbly.

"Nu-gesh—I don't know," she tried to correct, but failed as well.

"Ngeshtin-ana," Nergal repeated. "Dumuzi's sister."

They continued to gape at him.

"Do you have any other accusations to make of me, or did you have further business here?"

"Where is Ereshkigal?" Hisako asked. Yuri was surprised she could pronounce that one so well, too. He wisely did not try.

"She is busy."

"What are Personas?"

"I have never heard the term before. Could you elaborate?" Nergal asked politely.

Hisako and Yuri exchanged a glance. She dug her nails into her leg, and he bit down on his cheek, both hard enough to draw blood. With a flash of cold and a gust of wind, and most curiously of all a strange _tug_ at the back of his mind, the two giants appeared behind them. Yuri couldn't help but rub his arms; the temperature was dropping at a shocking rate, and he had a feeling that was Inanna's doing.

Hisako scowled as she fixed her hair and clothes. "Is the wind thing going to be recurring?"

"How are you not shivering?" he asked in return.

Nergal's bright green eyes were still on both of them, however. "I do not understand how demonstrations of magic pertain to 'Personas'. That felt like basic magic, something far beneath the both of you, unless aging has not been kind."

"Did you just call us old?" Yuri asked before he could stop himself. From behind them, Enlil gave off a feeling of amusement. That would take some getting used to.

"I don't think they can actually see the Personas," Hisako whispered to him. "The same thing happened with Nergal and Ereshkigal before I came to find you."

"But they are real, right?" he whispered back.

"I think so. Dumuzi didn't know what they were, either, so I think it may be a human thing."

"But that means we can't ask it anything about our Personas."

"I have someone else I may be able to ask about that."

"What else can we ask it about, then?"

"Him, Yuri-kun," Hisako corrected and straightened once more. Inanna paced with annoyance behind them, and Yuri could feel her bubble of cold whenever she neared him. Enlil knelt directly behind him, using his cloak as a blanket for the both of them. He stiffened at the contact, everything in him shouting to simultaneously reject and embrace his Persona's touch, and it took too long to calm his nerves.

"You are acting very strangely, Inanna," Nergal said. The real Inanna silently snarled and ice shards branched out from her staff, making Hisako jump and glare at her. Enlil leaned further over Yuri (forcing him to bend nearly in half) and the air around them both seemed to vibrate.

Nergal was the only one who didn't seem fazed. Yuri didn't like that. Had their Personas been that agitated the last time they talked with him? No, they had all been mostly tired…

"Is Dumuzi's sister still a threat? When I fought with Yu—Enlil, I think she appeared, but she simply vanished. Was that enough to stop her?" Hisako asked and brought them back onto the interrogation track.

"Ereshkigal is looking into it. Nothing in this realm can hide from its ruler, and she will discover what has happened soon enough."

He didn't say that the sister wasn't a threat, Yuri noted, and he knew Hisako had, too. She pressed, "In the meantime, what if she kidnaps someone else? Why did she target my friend? Was there something that made him an easier or better target?"

"Her logic is as cloudy to me as it has always been. I will question her once she is found." Nergal cast a thoughtful eye over Yuri, ignorant of the giant crouched man behind him. "Perhaps it was an old grudge that caused her to choose Enlil. Perhaps it was something else. It has been many centuries since Enlil was worshiped, so perhaps she sensed the weakness in that."

Enlil practically boiled over with fury, rising to his full height, and whipped out his fan brush. But there was something bubbling beneath the rage, something that Yuri couldn't quite identify. While he puzzled, Hisako intervened. "If you figure out anything of her motive, please tell us. We would like to prevent any further crimes."

"How would I inform you?"

"Well…"

Yuri really hoped she was not going to say what he thought she was going to say.

"...I suppose we—I—could visit."

She said it. And Yuri hated himself, but he couldn't let her do that alone, no matter how much he distrusted Nergal. "We'll both visit. Provided we don't end up killing ourselves on the exit this time."

"You are both still here. You have been given the permission to come and go from Irkalla freely. You are not dying," Nergal said, clearly confused.

"We got very sick the last time we left. Do you know why?" Hisako asked with a grimace.

"You have permission," the monster repeated and he still sounded just as lost as they were.

Hisako and Yuri sighed in unison. He realized he had pinned far too much hope on this trip as far as getting answers was concerned. He flopped onto his back and stared up at Enlil, who caught his eye and looked away immediately. It felt like a blessing and a curse to have his Persona out and about again. Mostly a blessing. He studied him, trying to memorize as many features as he could. The least he could get out of this was a decent painting.

"Any other questions?" Nergal prompted. Enlil still bristled whenever he spoke, and Yuri agreed with the sentiment. He didn't understand why Hisako was so nice to him.

"...About Ereshkigal," Hisako started cautiously, "I'd like to know what happened between her and Inanna— _ow_! Stop that!"

Yuri raised his head to see Hisako rubbing her head and Inanna snarling mutely at her. The Persona raised her staff again, but instead of hitting her, she just pointed at Enlil.

"Yuri-kun is our friend. I'm not sending him away."

Inanna crossed her arms. Hisako mirrored the movement.

"... _Apparently_ , this is a touchy subject. Nergal, if you'd be willing to discuss it with me, I'd like to pursue this. ...Yuri-kun, could you please start heading back?" She turned to him with big, pleading eyes. He cringed, but how could he say no? "I promise I will make this quick, I just want to clarify a couple things. If you have Enlil with you, you should be fine, and there are no monsters out here, anyway. Right?"

"That is correct. This area is mine and no spirit dares try to escape Irkalla."

Yuri looked up at Enlil. His Persona pretended to be very interested in the bristles of his paintbrush. "Yeah, we can go. Just make it fast, please?" Enlil immediately gave him a pang of _sulking_ , of all things, and moodily picked at the brush. Yuri began walking and his Persona trailed after. He waited until they were out of earshot, halfway back to the stairs, and said, "Fujihara will probably tell us all about it. What's the issue with Inanna and Ereshkigal, anyway?"

Enlil frowned beneath his mask. Yuri received the impression of familial love, a gust of wind, and then the faint taste of blood at the back of his mouth.

"...That was incomprehensible. But I wish I could create something in the way that you communicate."

They reached the stairs and both looked back. The other three were still deep in talks. So Yuri sighed and started climbing. If Inanna was that testy, they may as well be out of sight to give her some peace of mind.

"So, why did you appear? Why are you _mine_?"

Enlil tilted his head.

"Fujihara said you saved me. And now you appear whenever I bleed, or something, and for the most part, you've followed orders. What are you?"

A flash of gold and then a pang of loss.

"I take back what I said about you. This is frustrating. Almost as frustrating as talking to Mika, but it probably involves just as much paint." He cast about for some mark on the wall, and, not finding one, simply had Enlil make one. "You're a warrior? Attack that."

Enlil swiped his brush and released a gust of wind. It cracked the stone wall.

"Can you do anything else?" The reply of irritation was almost immediate. "Okay, fine. That's good, anyway. Good enough. Magical paint and wind powers, I'll take it. Do you paint because of me, or was that something you had before?" He wasn't sure how far one had influenced the other—he certainly did not want to think that Enlil was the one influencing _him_.

But Yuri felt normal. Shafts of daylight reached them from the exit, and he slowed his pace, but once he'd had the thought, it wouldn't leave him. How much of Yuri did Enlil actually reflect, and was there anything from the opposite angle? He reached the exit, turned, and stared down at his Persona.

If Enlil had felt any of Yuri's confusion or fright, he didn't show it. It may be a good idea to see if they could pick up on emotions like they utilized. Although, what did he even know of Enlil? The man kept his eyes from view with that headdress-mask, and most of the rest of his body was hidden with his cloak. Aside from the brush, Yuri didn't see many similarities.

"Why are you mine?" Yuri asked again.

Enlil smiled.

He didn't want to wait with his Persona any longer. Not quite sure how to make it disappear, he turned again and left for the exit—or tried to. He knocked his head on something invisible, some sort of barrier right before the edge of the tomb. Yuri placed a hand on it, amazed and scared. "...What did you do?"

He felt Enlil's perplexed presence behind him, looking over his shoulder at the exit.

"We should have permission to come and go. Last time, you just disappeared when we left. You're not keeping me here, are you?"

The bulky Persona growled at the offense taken.

"Yuri-kun?" Hisako's voice drifted up to them from below. "Who are you talking to?" she asked as she came into sight.

"Enlil. That doesn't count as talking to myself."

"...No, I suppose not. Have a nice talk with him?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he asked with a raised brow.

"It was… enlightening. I'll talk to you about it later," she replied, glancing back at a sour-looking Inanna.

Enlil jabbed him in the side and Yuri gestured at the sunlight just out of their reach. "We may have a problem. We can't get out."

" _What_?! Why not? What happened?" She was immediately beside him, turning from him to the exit and back again so fast it was a wonder she didn't give herself whiplash.

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure out if anything is different, but aside from being healthy this time, I'm lost."

"There must be _something_ else—" She placed her hand up against the exit and went straight on through. She was up to her shoulder before Inanna flickered out of existence.

Yuri, scared that he'd be left behind, tentatively reached out as well. But he was free. There was a vague feeling of annoyance, or disappointment, or smugness from Enlil, a confused jumble of emotion, and then he disappeared, too. The two kids climbed up out of the tomb and stared at each other. He didn't know what to say. _He_ had tried leaving and it wouldn't let him.

"...Maybe when we're together?" Hisako asked.

"You got in alone the first time."

"Technically, so did you. But Nergal was upset about that. Oh, how are you feeling?"

Yuri placed the back of his hand against his forehead. "My heart is still racing, but I feel fine."

Hisako mimicked the motion and frowned thoughtfully. "Me too… Yuri-kun, will you humor me a moment? Since we're feeling okay?"

"Uh. Sure." He watched as she stepped back down into the stairwell. She got down far enough to summon Inanna, and then went back up without issue. She gestured for him to do the same. He took a breath to steel himself, and then walked downward, alone.

And it was fine. He could summon Enlil again by biting his lip, and while his Persona acted curious, he turned and went back up the stairs.

And ran into the same invisible wall as the last time.

Hisako jumped down with him before he could panic, and that dispelled whatever force was binding him there. So she had no issue, but _he_ did. "You led the way down into there today, so I thought it was strange, but I-I think this means… Maybe _you_ can't leave alone? But that doesn't make sense, Ereshkigal gave us permission..."

Yuri realized at once, miserably, what it was. They sat down on the path, not acknowledging that they were waiting to get sick, and he drew his knees up to his chest. "No, _you_ were given permission. I've never met her. It's just like you said: anyone can enter Irkalla, but they're not supposed to get out again. You're the only one who can take them out."

"D-Don't worry!" Hisako squeaked in alarm and he looked up at her to let her know he wasn't about to start sobbing over the revelation. She smiled sheepishly. "It just means we'll go together, and I don't see how that's any different from what we were planning."

The logic comforted him. Slightly. But he still had to rely on her in a way that he hadn't counted on, and that made him uneasy. "...How are you feeling?"

"I still feel fine."

"Me too."

They cautiously stood up and Yuri waited for any signs of dizziness. He didn't feel nearly as hot as last time, and while he was thirsty and a little tired, he didn't feel sick at all. They began walking back at a slow pace, testing the waters.

But they made it all the way to the nearest bus stop without incident. Neither spoke about it, not wanting to break their lucky streak. It wasn't until they boarded the bus and managed to find a relatively quiet section that she broke into the largest grin he'd ever seen on her. "We're alright," she whispered.

"Maybe it was because we didn't get hurt."

"But our injuries came back _with_ the other effects. I don't think it was that. My doctor said it was as if our bodies were purging themselves of something—Yuri-kun, what if that was a one-time deal? What if we've gotten used to the place, or our Personas, or whatever went wrong?"

He could see why she was so excited, but he thought it was a bit of a leap to make it to that point. But they were already tied into another visit to get information from the guardian, so perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing to hope for. "Maybe," Yuri eventually mumbled.

Neither felt any ill effects for the ride. Yuri left first, and she waved to him with the same cheer she had maintained since she decided they would be fine, and then he was left alone with his thoughts. She seemed happy they had gotten some answers, however. And they weren't hooked up to IVs again.

Maybe it was okay to count it as a win.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Tolerant

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Painter social link of the Magician arcana!


	5. Growth 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two families have problems and vacations are taken.

Friday, April 18th, 2014

…

Hisako stared down at the card in her hand. That had been the one thing she had been unable to obtain the slightest answer for. Nergal helped with Dumuzi and his sister, as well as Inanna. Experience helped with their questions about their health and some logistics. The internet even helped with the term Persona, and the fact that none of the supernatural beings knew the word was an answer in itself.

And it wasn't as if she didn't know what tarot cards were. She had seen them before, and Igor had used them. But she couldn't ask him or his assistants.

So Hisako squinted down at the card of the Magician and wondered what a social link was supposed to be.

"I'm home," came her father's voice from the door.

She stowed the card under her pillow and called out, "Welcome back." He was home reasonably early for once. She could give herself a headache thinking about tarot later, she decided as she went out to give him a hug. "How was your day?" As she let go, she caught sight of a bag he was carrying in addition to his briefcase.

"Surprisingly, not busy. How was yours?" He leaned down and kissed her hair as he nudged off his shoes. He set the bag on the kitchen counter with a smile as he saw her follow the movement.

"It was alright. Mr. Akiyama got into an argument with Haruka-chan about the use of English slang. I still haven't figured out whether or not they fight on purpose."

"Some people enjoy arguing, and maybe your friend learns better that way."

"I suppose." At any rate, Haruka was the best in their class. Surely she was doing something right. "What's that?" she finally had to ask. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious.

"Say," Koichi said with an air of feigned innocence that did not fool Hisako for a second, "do you have much homework?"

On guard, she replied, "No, I don't…" While her father liked to occasionally shirk work duties or put off looming responsibilities, he was also fond of preparing situations for upsetting news with overly gentle attention. Not to mention how little he watched his sodium intake…

"How about you and I watch a movie and see whether or not my coworker was right about this Italian restaurant?" He started pulling boxes out of the bag and she watched him like a hawk over the counter, stomach grumbling, and began doing the mental math of how much they both could eat.

"What's the occasion?"

"Just want to spend a nice night in with my girl. Is that wrong?" Koichi asked with obvious amusement. Hisako grudgingly relented.

They settled into a convenient marathon of some of the earlier _Phoenix Ranger Featherman R_ movies, and aside from a couple of jokes about her childhood crush on Blue Swan, everything was comfortably nostalgic. She had almost forgotten to remain on guard.

Almost. "Do you have any plans for Golden Week?" he asked.

"Not yet. I thought we could see the city. Can you get the full week off?" she asked hopefully.

"Already have," Koichi replied with a smile. "Maybe we could go on a little trip."

They hadn't traveled much in recent years, and her heart rose further. "Papa, have you already thought of plans for us?"

From the way he chuckled, he had, and she smacked him on the arm as punishment. Not that she was truly angry; they hadn't gotten to spend time together for Golden Week in years. Last year, he needed to work, and the year before that, he had been in the hospital. "It's not extravagant, but how about a trip to Kyoto?"

It would be busy with vacationers, but they had not been there since she had been very small. Hisako broke into a wide smile. "That sounds wonderful. But what made you think of this? It's going to be hard to find anywhere to stay this late…"

"Hey now, you're supposed to be excited and not care about the responsibilities of vacation-planning," Koichi chided with a matching smile. "And we have already booked a room at a traditional inn near the outskirts of the city."

Despite his words, she couldn't help but continue tallying pros and cons. The price of such a trip immediately concerned her. Their recent move and her stay in the hospital both pricked at the back of her mind. And worse, something still warned her about potential bad news. What if—

"Ma-chan, it's fine. There's nothing wrong," Koichi broke in, pulling her into a one-armed hug against his side. "And don't pretend you weren't worrying yourself sick, because I know you, and because I'm your father. Can't we go have a nice family trip and can't you act like a kid for it?"

"Only if you tell me why this came out of the blue," she mumbled in response.

It took him a long time to reply. It didn't comfort her. "...Truth be told, this wasn't my idea. It was your mother who put all this together. And I thought it would be a good idea for us, all of us, to have a nice family vacation. Golden Week is a good opportunity for that."

Oh.

Her mother. Her _mother_ wanted to spend Golden Week with them and had been the one to suggest it. Well, there was the twist she had been expecting.

-.-.-

Sunday, April 20th, 2014

…

Hisako and Suzuka meandered from store to store, bags swinging from their arms. Both were less talkative than usual, but Hisako didn't know why her friend was so quiet. Her own mind swam with thoughts of her mother. But Suzuka's uncharacteristic quietness was weighing on her more and more.

Finally, as they were looking at sandals and heels, she had to speak up. "Suzuka-chan, is anything bothering you?"

The redhead looked up from examining a cute pair of emerald kitten heels. "Sorry! Have I been acting weird? You should have said something earlier…"

"Not weird," Hisako replied tactfully, "but sort of… distracted. _Is_ there anything that's bothering you?"

"Sorry," Suzuka repeated. She set down the shoes with a heavy sigh. "It's just that—stuff keeps happening. Haruka is going out of town for Golden Week with her family. Which is fine, but the past couple of years we've usually been stuck in the city and did stuff together. And now this year, she's going to be gone and my brother is coming to visit instead…"

So Yuri was not the only one prone to rushed outbursts. But her explanation seemed more stress-driven, so Hisako strove for the most neutral topic available. She hoped. "You have a brother?"

"Oh, yeah, older by a couple years. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but he just acts sort of… entitled sometimes, you know?"

Hisako didn't know. She also had a feeling she should have tried to tackle Haruka's absence instead, based on the way her friend scrunched up her face with a frown.

"Have any siblings?" Suzuka asked and cracked a smile.

"No, it's just me and my father." Family problems were not hers to help with.

"Oh, I'm sorry." But before she could hastily interject that her mother was very much alive, thank you, and incidentally wanted to rejoin Hisako's little bubble of a life, Suzuka added in a forced laugh, "Maybe small families have their advantages, though. But hey now, it's just us out shopping, and we need shoes. Clearly."

As Suzuka flitted from heels to pumps to boots, Hisako followed her, feeling out of place. Retail therapy was all well and good, but it did not solve all issues. They went onto the next store, Suzuka citing a sudden need for a new skirt to go with her new sandals, but the blonde finally had to say _something_.

She caught Suzuka by the elbow on the way to a dressing room and told her, "Suzuka-chan, you don't have to force yourself to act happy. I'm sorry, I'm bad at this myself, but… Why don't we take a break from the shopping and stop for a late lunch at a cafe? We can complain about awkward family together."

Her expression was nearly comical, with wide eyes and mouth open, and Hisako began to panic about overstepping her bounds. But then Suzuka laughed, and said with a wink, "Okay, that sounds like the perfect date right now. But be warned, I can talk about my brother until we're wrinkled and white-haired."

Hisako nervously chuckled and tried to quell her racing heart as they doubled back out of the store. She had to remind herself that she was _allowed_ to be concerned for people other than her father and kidnapped horn-growing classmates. _I really need to practice this friendship thing more often_ , she thought wryly and tried not to shy away when Suzuka linked their arms together.

She flinched back for real when her vision flashed white and a scarily familiar voice in her head announced she had established a new bond. Time seemed to slow and something about a Sun filtered into her consciousness, but then everything rushed back into color and normalcy.

"Hey, you okay? You trip or something?" Suzuka asked, eyebrow raised, half a step ahead of her.

Hisako shook her head to clear it. Something about that voice struck a chord with her, and not just because she was hearing it in the first place. "Just… nothing, sorry. What did you want to eat?"

She managed to restrain her curiosity until they sat down and ordered a sandwich platter to share from a cute little cafe with costumed servers that Suzuka insisted on trying. She wished she could have half of those dresses, even if they were too frilly and outlandish for normal wear, but she felt a little relieved when Suzuka backed her up on her choices.

While the other girl craned her head looking to see if there were any maids amongst the staff, Hisako reached into her pocket, and sure enough, she pulled out a blue tarot card. It looked far less cryptic than the Magician; it depicted a sun with a face, colored in reds and golds. What little relief she felt melted away again.

She peeked up at Suzuka. The Sun. She didn't have a Persona, though, so what did that mean? Was she going to gain one? Was Yuri having one just a coincidence? It supposedly represented friendships she had made, but what designated _their_ friendships as special? She felt a little bad for Mika and Haruka.

And most important of all: _why_ was she suddenly gaining social links from a voice in her head?

"You look weird again," Suzuka remarked and pulled her from her confusion.

"Sorry. Wait, weird?"

"You told me when I was acting weird, so now I'm doubly making sure to tell you the same. Honesty is the best policy when dealing with teenage drama, isn't it?" she replied cheerily.

"Just thinking of weird things, I guess." Not a lie.

"Like what?"

"Like becoming a magical girl who fights with the power of friendship and choosing to dress up like that to do it," Hisako said and nodded towards their server, a pretty brunette in a sailor uniform.

"I like your sense of weird," said Suzuka with satisfaction.

Lunch passed with a refreshing bit of family talk from both of them. Suzuka positively gushed about her brother, about how he had graduated the top of his class and was already vice president of a branch of some large media company, and how she was so proud of him. It wasn't quite what Hisako had been expecting, but she was glad to see Suzuka in higher spirits.

And she in turn confessed a few of her worries about her mother visiting, though Suzuka was nothing but supportive of Hisako spending time with her. Both girls were in higher spirits when they finally returned to trying to find a skirt to match those sandals.

-.-.-

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

…

"I thought you said they were _monsters_ ," Yuri said with a wounded tone Hisako didn't think she deserved.

"I told you some looked human," she whispered back. They both peeked back around the corner at the doctor and the nurse shuffling circles around one another. When Nergal had offered them no new information, explaining that Ereshkigal had not returned yet, curiosity had gotten the better of them. They hadn't wanted the trip to be wasted, after all, and at the very least, Yuri could see what Irkalla's labyrinth was _really_ like.

And to his horror, it was really full of monsters.

"At least some of my marks are still here," she said, trying to be comforting. She gestured to an old blood smear on the wall next to them. "If we had enough time, and were strong enough, we could maybe even make a map…"

"It better not take that long for Ereshkigal to return," Yuri replied stiffly.

They backtracked and dodged around other creatures, but after just a little bit, Hisako insisted on turning back around. "I _know_ I went the way I marked, so I haven't gone around in this area. I don't want to get hopelessly lost in here."

"We can still see the exit," he said and pointed at a barely visible gap in the wall.

"Yuri-kun, I don't think you realized how long it took me to find you."

He conceded and they traipsed back towards the humanlike monsters. Yuri had brought them both painting knives in case of emergency, and while she did feel better with some sort of weapon, she still felt rather defenseless. Something larger or with more reach would be better…

"Should we try to summon our Personas, or do you think we can sneak up and stab them?" Yuri asked lightly.

"I think we should bring better weapons next time," she muttered and they both nicked themselves with the blades. She noticed that he avoided his hands, instead choosing to cut his upper arm.

The monsters noticed them immediately once Inanna and Enlil appeared, but one was soon encased in ice, and the other was physically blown over a wall and into another section of the maze. Both Personas poked and chipped at the ice curiously while the kids approached.

"They don't seem very strong. That was easy," Yuri said and Hisako tried not to bristle.

"They're stronger if you can't summon your Persona."

He turned to her and she flushed. "Hey, are you feeling alright? You seem a little more on edge than normal."

"I just… don't like this place. I'm sorry. And I had hoped Nergal would have had some information for us…" And she wished he had seen how difficult it had been for her to traverse the labyrinth on her own with an unstable Persona, but she hadn't the courage to tell him that part. She sighed at herself.

"At least we're doing pretty good in here," he said and it only drove the knife deeper. _She_ had had to deal with two of those monsters by herself, no Yuri or Enlil or Inanna (until her Persona had so kindly showed up). "Our Personas are behaving, too, and we took care of those two in one shot. It seems like our nerves aren't affecting them, so that's a good thing."

"You're nervous?" Hisako asked in surprise.

"I've felt like I've been sweating buckets this entire time. My hands are shaking. Can't you tell?" Yuri asked in return, clearly equally surprised. He seemed to have recovered from the shock of bipedal creatures fast, and as far as she could tell, waltzed onward through the maze like he did it every day.

"...You have a really good poker face if you are. Better than me." She supposed he had been talking a lot more, but that was about the only outward sign. Maybe he just looked vaguely disinterested as a default.

"You know what we're up against. Better than I do, anyway. And it's kind of bothering me that I have to rely on you so much in this place. Did a wall _really_ try to eat you?"

"Yes. Try not to lean too heavily anywhere." She hated it, but a small part of herself was relieved that he was nervous, too. Wouldn't it have been better if someone had been coolheaded and composed?

But making progress through the corridors was a little reassuring, too. It gave them both a confidence boost, destroying and chasing off the creatures that lurched at them, and she could feel how viciously pleased Inanna was after every battle. Hisako mentally checked off each of the ones she had seen before—a gryphon, two hyenas, a cactus, an arm reaching out of the wall—but for every one she recognized, there were two she didn't. At one point several mask-wearing puddles stalked them and rebuffed Enlil's wind attacks, until Inanna threw ice at them and they vanished. At another, they ran shouting from a large tree that tried to impale them with its branches. Irkalla seemed even more chaotic than last time. There were twisted versions of all creatures imaginable: birds, snakes, and fish all tried to attack them from around corners or raced down hallways at them.

While exhausting, the experience did lend them information, too. Inanna brushed off ice attacks with ease, and Enlil hardly noticed enemies' gusts of wind. But ice could knock Yuri back with ease, and fire had Hisako running; as he put it, pulling a giggle from his friend, "It's like Pokémon."

There was a certain sort of elemental logic to it all. It wasn't long before they had identified a couple of monsters that they could each defeat with ease. It was too soon before they were both complete messes: paint, scrapes, burns, and altogether rumpled from their time in the labyrinth. Hisako felt like she had at least fifteen layers of Enlil's healing paint on her, but she was still giddy from winning so frequently. Or maybe she was giddy from the paint fumes.

As she was sniffing her arm to see if there _were_ any fumes from supernatural paint, walking on ahead without fear, Yuri stuttered to a stop behind her. She halted, too, and turned back to him with concern leeching away her excitement.

Before she voiced her concern, she realized why he had stopped. They had entered into the art gallery.

She didn't know what to say. He had been the most tired and out of it at first, not perking back up—comparatively—until they had been nearly out of Irkalla. This was probably the first time he was seeing it all clearly, and it was undeniably _his_. She stayed silent as he took the first few steps into the polished halls. She could only stay silent as he processed it all.

They walked silently through the gallery and he paused at each room, but never went in any. Hisako noticed with apprehension that all of the paintings had been restored to their former glory; had they revived themselves, or were they only decoration? She didn't bring it up since he seemed fine with not approaching any. They stopped at the room with the mirror, and she reached into her pocket. The Velvet Key was still there; she kept it with her in case of an emergency. Or, more likely, for whenever the twins randomly popped back up into her life.

The mirror and the doorway remained empty. Yuri began walking again and she released both the key and the breath she'd been holding.

"Why aren't they attacking us?" Yuri whispered, but it was so quiet she jumped from the noise anyway. He ran a hand over his face and slumped against the nearest wall. "You said these things had been hostile, too. Why aren't they now?"

"They weren't on the way back, remember?" she reminded gently.

"They were all puddles of paint then. They look like real paintings now. Are they?"

She crouched down beside him and finally picked up on the actual anguish in his tone. Yuri hid his face with his hands. She hesitated, but put a hand on his shoulder. She was relieved when he didn't jump or flinch. "I don't know. Would you like me to go check?"

"I can't ask you to do that. But I—I can't go in there and look for myself. Fujihara, those are _not_ my paintings, but they _are_ ," he mumbled out from beneath his palms. "Those are mine. _I_ made them."

There was fear in his voice. Hisako patted him on the shoulder, withdrew her hand, and then offered it to him again as she stood up. The dark-haired boy peeked up at her through his fingers, and she may have seen fear in his eyes, too. She couldn't truly understand what this part of the maze represented for him, but she had to do something. "Come on. Let's go, Yuri-kun."

He took her hand, mostly for show, since he didn't put any weight on it as he stood back up. "...We can keep going. Sorry."

"It's just a dead end ahead. We've explored enough of the place for you to get a taste, and we may as well minimize how long it takes for us to get out of here," she said like she was doing it for her own sake. She may have even succeeded, too.

And he may have smiled as they turned from the art gallery.

-.-.-

Monday, April 28th, 2014

…

"I don't know how to do this!" Hisako cried. Her knees were shaking and her palms were sweating beneath the borrowed gloves.

"You can do it! Just swing, batter!" Suzuka shouted back with unfair amounts of enthusiasm.

Hisako swung. "Not until she throws the ball! There, try again!" Haruka yelled with somehow even _more_. Hisako pathetically tried to use her backswing to hit the ball, but of course she missed. It had been two-on-one to get her to go to the baseball tryouts, but it did not mean this was going to go how the athletic duo had envisioned.

The day was unusually warm, which made it worse; she was sweating like a pig. Hisako thought about Inanna's ice against her skin as she trudged off the field. It would have felt heavenly. Suzuka and Haruka met her at the fence, throwing themselves around her with sympathetic cheering. She endured the undue praise and excessive hugging by trying to keep her mind on Inanna.

"You swung a lot better than you threw!" Haruka gushed and she didn't even laugh.

"I'm not really the athletic type. I'm sorry, but I _did_ tell you," Hisako said as she pried the helmet off and then tried to peel the gloves off as well.

"But your swing had so much power! There's potential there," she continued.

"It's just about learning the timing of when to swing," Suzuka added loyally.

"I really don't think I'm going to make the team," Hisako pointed out. She was okay with that. She was amazed when Suzuka had shown her some last-minute pointers on throwing before the tryouts, and watching Haruka accidentally hit the team manager with a foul ball had been something, but baseball was not for her personally. "I'll still see your games, I promise."

They snuck back to the locker room with her, sighing and cooing over the thought of their own personal cheerleader all the while. It was a little more trouble to sneak out entirely; as part of the team from last year (and as star players, they assured her repeatedly), they were supposed to be supervising tryouts. Instead, they stashed their uniforms, ducked out into the hall like fugitives, and debated what color the cheerleader uniform ought to be.

"...You don't have to keep crouching like that," Hisako said with a poorly concealed smile. They were already past the library. Odds were low they'd get caught now.

"In that case, we're bustin' out with style!" Suzuka crowed and hopped up on Haruka's back. The taller of the two gladly gave her a piggyback ride and she jogged down the hall, both of them cackling. They were both practically high with how well tryouts went, Hisako's contribution aside. Or maybe they were just pleased she had tried out at all.

"Don't run in the halls!" their English teacher called sourly from the faculty office doorway.

"See you after break, Mr. Akiyama!" Haruka called back without an ounce of guilt. Hisako quickly dashed after them to avoid his wrath. The girls ahead of her turned around a corner, and she just heard a yelp and a crash. She only hoped it wasn't another teacher.

She turned the same corner to find Mika sitting in the midst of a mess of papers, Suzuka across her lap. "...Come here often?" the redhead asked and Hisako sighed.

"At least this saved me the trouble of finding you," Mika replied flatly. She collected her papers, but then withdrew one from the top and handed it up to Haruka. "This is for your parents. A reminder of the schedule for next month."

"You couldn't have waited until after break?" Haruka asked with a pained expression. Suzuka finally clambered off of Mika and Hisako helped her to her feet.

"Don't remind me that we have less than a month," Suzuka said with a great sniff.

"Oh no, is it for your departure?" Hisako asked and Haruka nodded. With Golden Week looming, it had been easy to forget that her exchange was also coming up. ...And so were midterms.

Seemingly following that train of thought, Suzuka folded the paper in half so Haruka couldn't read it any further. "Let's be sad about that later. We've got the rest of the week off first! _And_ we're still on for the tenth, right?"

"Yeah," Haruka said with a sad smile. But she cheered up almost immediately as she and Suzuka rounded on Hisako. "We're still studying together, right?"

"R-Right!" she squeaked in response. She sighed in relief as they then turned on Mika. They'd planned for the tenth of May being their study sleepover, which would undoubtedly have very little studying involved, but it was too late to back out on such grounds. Haruka would be leaving at the end of May, and honestly, Hisako was sort of looking forward to it despite its sad reminder of exams and her friend leaving. She hadn't gotten to go to very many slumber parties growing up.

"Don't forget to leave school at some point during break, madame representative," Haruka said solemnly.

"I'm only filing and delivering a couple more papers for Ms. Yamashita—" Mika began but Suzuka cut her off.

"School's done with and Golden Week starts tomorrow! You can be responsible when we get back!"

" _Someone_ has to be _now_ , because half of these need to be filed in the faculty office," the brunette said pointedly. She reshuffled her papers and then left before they could cajole her further. Hisako almost felt a little sorry for her; Suzuka and Haruka weren't exactly the most appreciative of the sort of responsibility she aimed for.

"...She's headed towards the stairs. Oh, she's going up the stairs," Haruka said with a snort.

"I suppose it is Monday," Suzuka agreed, nodding wisely.

"Isn't the faculty office around the corner?" Hisako asked, and she felt like she was the only one who was confused. Maybe she ought to feel sorry for herself.

"Exactly. And guess what's on the second floor."

"And what meets on Mondays."

"...I haven't the faintest idea," she admitted.

"Responsibility my left foot," Haruka said and finally laughed. She turned and began walking at a more sedate pace for the shoe lockers. Suzuka fell into step beside her, still nodding with all the confidence of a sage, so Hisako had no choice but to trail behind them and wonder what they were talking about.

"Ah, love. It trumps all types of responsible behavior," Suzuka announced to the shoes.

"Don't let her hear you say that. Or him."

"Ah." Hisako finally caught up to them: the reason why she and Yuri had agreed to visit Irkalla on Tuesdays was because he had art club on Mondays.

"Young love," Haruka cooed.

"You're only saying that because she's out of earshot," Hisako replied in defense of the departed.

"Maybe I'll say it before I leave. She'll have to respect my last goodbyes, so I'll just shout something about her being a tsundere as I'm running off campus."

"That doesn't exactly sound like a graceful last goodbye," Suzuka said, but she didn't sound nearly as amused as she had earlier. "...Okay, I don't like the thought of any goodbyes. So let's all just go have an awesome Golden Week and text each other obnoxiously so we don't have to say it, even over break."

"Yeah, right. You're going to be so busy fawning over your brother and his fancy job you'll forget all about us until the last day," Haruka said with a roll of her eyes. She gave Hisako a smile and added, "Has she told you about him? Won't shut up if you get her started."

"Let's see if you're a vice president by the time you're twenty-two!"

"Yeah, I already got the memo," Hisako answered before Suzuka could get started. It was nice to see her in high spirits about his visit again, though. They finally left school—the two athletes successfully completing their hooky scheme—and waved their not-goodbyes at the bus stop, since Suzuka still refused to think about it.

She hadn't quite finished packing, but their train didn't leave until tomorrow morning, so she didn't feel particularly pressed for time. She was more nervous about her mother. She had managed to push it to the back of her mind since her father had told her, but it was catching up to her. She and her father would have most of the day in Kyoto together, but the morning after… She hadn't seen her for several years, and aside from sporadic phone calls, barely had any contact outside of messages her father would give her.

Hisako stared at the outfits thrown across her bed. A vacation was one thing, but with her mother was another. She had to show her that she was adjusting well and had grown up fine. What would the weather be like? Could she wear skirts? She had to look cute, but adult, and mature. No, not adult, just mature. She was only sixteen. Cute and mature. How did businesswomen survive worrying about their projected image every day when she was struggling to pack for just a week?

She still hadn't finished packing by the time her father got home. He found her in her room, face-down in a pile of tops. "...Ma-chan, you know she won't care what you show up in," he said lightly.

"She's a fashion designer. She'll care a little."

"And I know you inherited your taste from her, so no matter what you wear, I know you'll both look stunning. As usual. Can I coax you to come out and eat dinner with me?" He did, but she still felt a little put-out by it all. The last time she had seen her mother had been for her grandfather's funeral, which was not exactly a 'look at how well I've grown up' time.

And she knew her father was trying to reassure her by downplaying the importance of the trip, and she supposed it helped, but it would have been nice to have felt vindicated in her minor freak-out about it all. She could hardly taste the take-out he had brought home. Her mind was still on which scarf to bring.

"Would you like me to call her and tell me what _she's_ bringing so you two can coordinate?" Koichi finally asked, clearly exasperated by his distracted daughter.

"No!" And then he laughed at his scandalized daughter. "Papa, I-I just want to look nice."

"You always look nice. Thankfully you take after her, not me."

"I'm being serious!"

"Sorry," he said with a soft, apologetic smile. "But worrying all night and being tired all day tomorrow and then worrying all tomorrow night isn't going to help things."

She already knew she'd be a mess tomorrow night. "I know. But… I want this to be nice," she repeated miserably. "I just want her to be able to—" Hisako jumped when her phone went off. Glancing up at her father to make sure it was okay to check it at the table, she found it was just a text, from Suzuka. It went off again before she could even check the first one.

"Someone's popular," Koichi hummed. "Is it someone special?"

"It's Suzuka-chan," she replied as it went off again. Each time she tried to open a message, the new one would just overtake her screen. It was starting to get a little frustrating after the fourth time, but then, it stopped. Hisako read through the messages.

' _omg OMG u guys my brother!_ '

' _oh sweet sunshine he brought a girl home to meet us_ '

' _HARUKA MY BROTHER BROUGHT A GIRL HOME._ '

' _HISACHAAAAAN MY BROTHER HAS A GIRL OMG_ '

"...Apparently, her brother brought a girl home to meet the family. She's very excited," Hisako explained with a smile. Excited enough to forget half of her punctuation, but Suzuka was hardly a stickler for such things on a good day. It was nice to see her back to full strength cheer, though.

"Her family seems plenty happy. And ours will be too."

"...I'm sure you're right, papa."

-.-.-

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

…

The train ride had been early and as far as she could tell, they both slept through most of it. She recalled a couple of strange dreams, but no details. Oh well. But soon enough, they were in Kyoto. She had fuzzy memories of a childhood trip with both parents (mostly excited ones about some sort of toy she had wanted) so the sights were going to be fairly new and fresh. And, full circle, she would see it with her parents again.

She flipped between elation and dread. The taxi pulled up to a beautiful inn, all elegant architecture and muted colors. They were near the edge of the city in a quieter area with plenty of greenery around; she hoped their room had a nice view. This was going to be nice. She forced herself to smile as they greeted the staff and were led to their room.

The room was lovely. Their view was indeed pretty, and they even had a private bath, but all she could think was _this is it_. They were in Kyoto. Her mother would be arriving the day after.

"Ma-chan—" her father started and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she jumped so horribly he backed off with an apologetic look. Guilt settled in with the dread. "...I'm sorry, I know you must be nervous. But please don't worry. She's your _mother_ , not a monster from your closet."

She couldn't help but let out a half-crazed laugh at the realization. He was right, of course. She had fought dozens of monsters and they had not made her half as apprehensive as this. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm sure I'll settle down once she arrives," she said, and hoped it wasn't a lie. "I _am_ excited to see her again, too," she quickly added for her father's benefit.

He smiled at that, but it was small and weak. Hisako sincerely hoped she wasn't going to ruin this trip for them all. But, to think, she was more afraid of her own mother than of Nergal or hyenas or living paintings. She clearly had to resort her priorities.

They didn't have any real plans for the day, so they picked a direction to travel in and went looking at all of the temples and historic sites. It was more like a scavenger hunt than any else, but she enjoyed it. It was relaxing, and she could tell her father felt better after she calmed down. She shouldn't have worried him in the first place.

She snapped a couple of pictures with her cell phone to send to her friends, when she remembered, but otherwise they fought over who got to use the actual camera to take silly pictures of the other. Koichi normally won, but she won enough times to satisfy herself. And after her mother joined them, he would be distracted and she would win even more.

_I could take pictures of my parents together_ , she realized belatedly. There were photos of them together in the house, but the most recent one was still several years old. _...We could have pictures of all three of us_. The ones with all of them together were even older.

They had dinner at the inn, which turned into a delicious experience that was cut short by her father's cell phone ringing. She could tell from the way he spoke, asking to call her back later, that it was her mother. The food was suddenly less delicious. She knew it was just nerves, and she _knew_ that she was just riling herself up further by dwelling on it, but she couldn't help it. Could she hug her mother? Would she kiss her hair the way her father did? Would her parents act like a couple or would they be polite, or worse, _distant_ with one another?

"You can have the bath first. I'm just going to step out for this phone call," Koichi told her after dinner. She nodded robotically and felt a little like an abandoned pet when he left the room. What if her mother was regretting it?

Her melancholy was interrupted by her own phone, however. Haruka had sent out a mass text with an attached picture of her and what must have been her little brother in Mickey Mouse hats. ' _we're gonna meet mickey and minnie! try n beat our awesome vacation!_ '

Hisako quickly scrolled through her phone and sent a picture response of her dad making faces at a wall of fish in a pet store window. It was the best she had, and at least it was a reply. She tried. And it got her to smile. This was supposed to be a fun trip, after all; that's what Golden Week was for. Her friends were having fun with their families, and she had the opportunity to do so as well, so she just had to look at the bright side. It would be okay.

She was unbraiding her hair when her father came back in, still on the phone. "—just wish it didn't. I'm going to give the phone to her now, alright?" He pulled the phone away from his ear, covered it, and said quietly, "Your mother wants to speak to you. I'll talk to her again afterward, alright?"

She squashed the stab of fear and forced another smile as she took it from him. "Hello?"

"Ah. Hisako," came her mother's voice.

Her smile faltered. "...Hello, mother."

"...How have you been?" At least it seemed like the conversation was awkward for them both.

"Oh, um, well. I'm adjusting to school and I've already made some friends." Some friends and two social links, whatever those were. "But I'm glad to have a break. Thank you for the idea of a trip to Kyoto."

Silence. She checked that the call was still connected; it was. Just as she was about to ask if she was still there, her mother sighed on the other line. "Right. Hisako, there is no easy way to say this, so I'm going to say it straight-out—" Hisako's breath caught painfully in her throat "—I can't join you this week. One of my coworkers was in an accident and I have to stay in the city to handle a couple of related issues. I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay," she replied and winced at the crack in her voice.

"This was not your fault. I wanted to say that just as bluntly. I wish I could be there with you both, and I have missed you."

"I've missed you t-too." Hisako angled herself so her father couldn't see her face and made sure to keep her breathing even. She couldn't bring herself to ask about another visiting time.

"...I'll send your birthday present to your father again. But I would like to see you soon."

"Mmhmm."

"I _will_ see you soon, Hisako," her mother said suddenly. Hisako nodded though she couldn't see it. "I'm sorry, again, for this. All of it."

"Mmhmm," she repeated. She choked out some sort of sound that could be a goodbye, shoved the phone at her father, and disappeared into the bath. She barely rinsed and didn't finish undoing her hair before throwing herself into the hot water. The tub wasn't even full.

Hisako drew her knees up to her chest and pretended her face was wet because of the bath. She should have known it wouldn't have worked out, so she had worked herself up for nothing but disappointment. She wasn't sure to be more mad at herself or her mother.

It wasn't very long before her father came knocking, of course. She didn't answer and just sunk lower into the tub. "...Could we talk after you're done?" he called after it was clear she wasn't going to respond. She didn't reply to that, either.

She sullenly undid her other braid and tried to keep herself from feeling bitter. It had been an accident. Her mother had made a point to say they'd see each other soon, and she wasn't one to make empty promises, so there was that. And if she did let herself sink into a fit of bitterness and sorrow, what would that accomplish? It would only make her father worry. This was supposed to be a fun family vacation, not Koichi being torn between comforting two women.

_...That's all I wanted_ , she thought, allowing herself one last, glorious moment of self-pity. _I just wanted my family to be a little normal, just for a little while_.

And then, she was done. She wiped her eyes, stepped out of the hot water, got dressed, and did her best to not make her father worry about her. If she couldn't have a happy family outing, she could at least make it a normal one.

She made it as far as joining him beside the window before the tears returned. She attempted to turn from him to hide her face again, but he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. Koichi was content to silently hold her as she cried.

It wasn't fair. None of it was, to her or her mother or her father, but it especially wasn't fair that she couldn't put on a brave face again. "I-I just wanted to s-see her again," she hiccuped into his shoulder.

"I know. I did, too," he said softly.

"I'm so sorry, papa."

"What on earth are you apologizing for?"

"If it wasn't for me, mother wouldn't have left," she said in a very small voice. It was not something she thought about often.

But he almost instantly pulled away from her, put a hand on each of her shoulders, and leaned down to her eye level. "No, it wasn't because of you. Not this time, and not ever. Have you been thinking that all this time?"

She averted her eyes. "...Not all this time."

Koichi sighed, and guided them both down to sit at the table. Hisako continued avoiding his gaze. "...I'm sorry we haven't talked about your mother very often. It's difficult to know what to say, and I don't want to have to say anything on her behalf. But I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologize, papa—" she began but he raised a hand, cutting her off.

"I think it's time we had an honest, open discussion about your mother, Ma-chan." She swallowed past her heart in her throat and nodded.

And then she jerked back from a flash of light. That voice again told her that she had made a new bond, which was _absurd_ because this was her _father_ , but worse was that the voice eerily reminded her of her mother. She blinked owlishly as the color faded back into her world.

"Are you up for this tonight?" her father asked with equal parts concern and warmth. "We can talk in the morning."

"No. I'm fine. I just… really want to talk about her."

-.-.-

Tuesday, May 6th, 2014

…

"We can show each other pictures at the sleepover, right?" Haruka asked with a yawn. She barely raised her head from her desk to speak. "And give each other souvenirs…"

"That works," Hisako replied brightly. It was that much less to lug into class. She, Haruka, and Mika sat at their desks before class, chatting about Golden Week, and Hisako was doing a marvelous job at maintaining her smile. The trip _had_ been fun, after all, even if it had a rocky start.

"So you two will show off pictures of exotic locales, we will all eat more junk food than I care to imagine, and _when_ exactly will the studying get done during this?" Mika asked seriously.

"I'll narrate my pictures in English," Haruka mumbled into her sleeves.

"You'll lose Suzuka-chan and me…" Hisako admitted. She caught movement out of her periphery and turned her smile on Yuri as he sat down in his seat. "Yuri-kun! I have a souvenir for you."

He paused, hovering over his chair, and looked like a startled deer. Which she had gotten to see during a day trip to Nara. Hisako felt Mika's eyes narrow over her shoulder; okay, maybe she could have timed this better. Haruka and Suzuka didn't mind, but she wasn't sure how Mika felt about Hisako and Yuri maintaining a friendship. "...What," he finally said.

Hisako dug around in her bag until she pulled out a cell phone strap with a cute little mermaid holding a blue paintbrush. "I saw this at the Kyoto aquarium and thought of you." She also privately thought that the mermaid looked a little like Mika, but neither of them needed to know that bit.

"Oh. Thank you." He sat on the furthest possible side of his chair in order to avoid as much of Mika's glare as he could.

Hisako turned to Mika, physically putting herself in between them, and smiled even harder. "Mika-chan, did you have a good Golden Week? I'm not sure I knew what your plans were."

"...I just stayed home and worked," she replied, relenting in favor of politeness.

"You _worked_ during your vacation?" Haruka asked, craning her neck up far enough to make sure they could both make out her appalled expression.

"Only a couple of the days. I'm trying to save up some money, and it's not as if I had plans, so I didn't see any issue with it," Mika said with a shrug.

As the other two discussed the merits of free time versus gainful employment, Hisako snuck another look back at Yuri. She felt bad that she usually had to compartmentalize him away from her girl friends (even if the athlete duo were slowly warming to him more and more). But he didn't seem to mind being ignored again. He was staring down at the charm, now attached to his phone, and smiling a little.

The first bell rang and their classmates slowly filed in, many of them about as tired as Haruka. But many of the seats were also empty. Hisako frowned at the one in front of her; Suzuka wasn't normally late. Haruka looked too tired to notice or care, but Mika caught her eye and pointed at Suzuka's seat. Hisako could only shrug back.

The second bell rang and at least four students were still missing. Ms. Yamashita tsked at it. But before she could begin her lecture, two students darted in to their seats, earning glares from the teacher. Suzuka grinned sheepishly up at her. At least she made it.

Hisako and Mika shared a relieved look. Suzuka slumped down in front of her, trying to yawn quietly, and ran a hand through her curly hair.

And then Hisako saw the short horns nestled between the curls.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Tolerant

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Reluctant Fan social link of the Sun arcana!

Hisako Fujihara has established the Single Father social link of the Star arcana!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suzuka's horns are giraffe horns.


	6. Zio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a transfer tries to figure out friendship and statues are creepy.

"I'm not... made for sprints...!" Yuri gasped out and he looked a little peeved. Hisako, hands on her knees and struggling not to cough up a lung, secretly agreed with the sentiment. It was their second break for breath but they had only just gotten into the Irkalla maze proper.

"We have to s-save Suzuka-chan," she shot back. She summoned Inanna with a nick on the back of her wrist, and at least he looked a bit less annoyed when they both had some ice to suck on. She forced them to continue onward, but at a walk, not another mad dash. For awhile.

They followed their painted signs while they could, but those ran out too soon. They jogged when they could, but breaks became more and more frequent, and eventually Yuri bit out, "I didn't see any horns on her."

"She had them! I even tried to touch them at lunch."

"...Tried to?" he asked, visibly caught off guard by the admission.

Hisako pursed her lips and looked away from his surprise. "Well, of course. I didn't know you all that well when I saw yours, but I know Suzuka-chan… They weren't solid, anyway, but they stung."

"Why are you the only one who can see the horns?"

"Haruka-chan at least noticed something was wrong with how she was acting," she fielded, but very much wanted to know the answer to that, too.

"I'm pretty sure half the class was concerned when she started that coughing fit during English," Yuri mused.

"See? You were coughing too! And then she left class early—"

"To go to the nurse, and anyway, Sakuraba cutting class isn't incredibly newsworthy. Look, I'm not doubting you. I don't think you like this place any more than I do. I'm just complaining." To his credit, he sounded apologetic, but she still didn't see the need for the almost-argument in the first place. But it was better to be silent than to resume said almost-argument, so they pressed onward.

She hoped they were getting faster at navigating through Irkalla when they reached the art gallery sooner than she had expected. She looked back at Yuri and he slowed, but didn't stop. While she would have preferred to rush them both through the area to minimize the time spent there as well as reach Suzuka sooner, she wouldn't force him to do that. She let him set the pace and just made sure to be nearby.

They passed the mirror room and reflexively, she checked for a door to the Velvet Room. Nothing. Another shortcut would have been great, but she couldn't complain. They were in remarkably good shape, far better than she had been when rescuing Yuri, and her main complaint was a sore throat from all of the running. Inanna wordlessly handed her another little ice chip to melt in her mouth.

Yuri reached down and grabbed her hand. She nearly choked on her ice. "Sorry," he said quickly and let go again. "I just—"

"It's fine," she replied simply.

He pressed closer to her, but didn't try to grab onto her again until they passed a room with a moving painting. Hisako wasn't waiting around for the sake of comfort any longer, and grabbed him herself, pushing them onward to avoid it.

They stayed connected until the gallery rooms stopped altogether and they were left with an absurdly long corridor. She remembered it. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

They crept down the hallway, Personas tensed behind them, and entered into the large room. And the large room did not hold Suzuka.

Instead, the figure reclining idly in the air was unnaturally long and thin. Its tail swished back and forth behind one leg. Hisako and Yuri stuttered to a stop, bemused, and it finally took notice of them. It flickered momentarily, like an old movie, before settling on Renora Fujihara.

Hisako's mother cocked her head to the side, her long, blonde hair tumbling down over her shoulders, parted only by the long horns arching out gracefully from the top of her head. Something about the horns reminded her of something, something important, but that was pushed away because that was her _mom_. Everything else was secondary.

She distantly felt Inanna trying to pull her back but she stumbled forward regardless, shocked—happily so—that her mother had decided to see her after all. The timing of it… something was off about that, but she was simply so glad to see her again… Her mother looked as beautiful as she did in her memories, no, more so. Renora alighted on the ground, a gorgeous gown fluttering about her ankles, and reached forward to beckon her towards her.

Inanna's staff came down in between her and her mother, but she just sidestepped it and ignored the resulting spike of outrage. "Mom!" She could introduce her mother to her Persona! And Yuri, and she would certainly be pleased that she was making friends.

Reminded of her friend, she turned to find him approaching her mother as well. Strange, that he would meet both her parents so soon after they themselves met, but she had no problem holding him up as the example of her normalcy. He would back her up on this.

Or so she thought, until she heard him ask, "Mika, what are you doing down here?"

"Mika-chan? This is my mother," Hisako replied. They both stopped short in their approach to the figure, staring at each other in confusion.

"That's so strange," Renora cooed with a voice like the silk of her dress. "He must be confused."

Concern for Yuri warred with her desire to see her mother. Desire won out. "Mother, I'm so glad to see you again. I've had so much I've wanted to talk to you about, to show you. I-I'm doing fine, see?"

"You've done so well to get this far. I'm already so proud of you, my love," her mother purred, arms outstretched, ready to hug her. "Come here and let me see you, my gorgeous little girl."

And Hisako stopped short. Not even wish fulfillment could make her believe her mother would be so affectionate, so willing to drop compliments and embraces. The figure in front of her flickered again, briefly, and suddenly she was dunked into a miniature ice storm.

Hisako screamed, dripping snow and frost, and Inanna pulled her bodily backwards. "Wh-What was that for?!" she demanded shrilly and she could not stop her trembling. It was already melting on her, sticking damply to her skin, weighing down her hair.

Inanna, emanating poorly concealed rage, pointed at the figure. Her mother was gone, replaced instead with a too-tall, too-thin creature with long nails and even longer horns. It imitated a female figure, with little mounds that could be breasts and painfully bony hips, but the only thing undeniably feminine about it was its beautiful eyes. Slanted, deep blue, with long, perfectly curled lashes that batted flirtatiously at her.

Hisako found herself yanked backwards again; she had apparently been leaning forward, into those eyes, and made a note to avoid them from then on. "...Thanks," she mumbled to Inanna. The warrior woman seemed pleased.

She turned to Yuri, only to find him hiding behind Enlil's cloak, rubbing his shoulders and looking quite shaken. They made eye contact.

"...How much of that did you hear," Hisako asked warily.

"I won't mention this to anyone if you don't," he replied.

"Deal. Now how do we handle that thing?"

"So rude," said thing interjected. Both kids flinched at its voice. "All I was trying to do was make you happy."

"You imitated a friend of mine and tried to gut me," Yuri snapped back from the safety of Enlil's cloak.

"I was only trying to be beautiful for you," it pouted.

Yuri blushed brilliantly and Hisako hid a groan with her hands. _This_ again? That had been Yuri's angle when he had been possessed and it had been a nightmare to try to talk him out of it. _Wait_ —she looked between him and the monster. _They have the same motive and were found in the same place?_ she thought suspiciously.

Just to be sure, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"Someone must rule this land. It was created for beauty, as was I," it replied helpfully.

"So you're his?"

"Don't call that mine!" Yuri hissed. "We should be fighting it, anyway, not chatting it up."

"Just a moment," she replied, ignoring her growing habit of trying to dig for information from various gods and monsters. Talking ones, anyway. "Have you seen anyone come through? A human girl with red hair and little nubby horns?"

"Was she pretty?" it asked.

"I still think this is a lost cause," he said, and she was inclined to agree. Nergal had been surprised to see Hisako the first time she went down, which meant it stood to reason that most of Irkalla's inhabitants didn't see living humans very often. Suzuka would've stood out.

"Would you please let us pass? We need to find our friend," Hisako asked. Yuri's eye roll perfectly matched the annoyance from Inanna above her.

"You're intruders in my domain. Ugly little pests, too." Its face contorted into a disgusted sneer and it lolled back against the air, as if reeling back from the very sight of them. After a laugh, it continued in an increasingly sharper tone, "You don't behave, you don't kneel down to the loveliest sight you can imagine, and now you're trying to beg me for aid. How unsightly!"

"You're one to talk about unsightly," Yuri retorted and Hisako had a feeling that was not the best thing to say.

Sharp gales of wind bowled them over, sending Hisako skidding. The creature was floating fully in the air by then, tail lashing like an angry cat's, and she caught a flash of her mother's yellow hair whipping around in the storm before Inanna forced her back down. "Disgusting, vile, ugly, stupid little stains! You're chasing a lie!"

"Suzuka-chan _is_ here!" Hisako snapped back. Inanna lobbed a sharpened ice chunk at it, but it darted out of the way with ease.

"I care not for whatever whim you chase next. It's the matter of how blind you are," it crooned.

Enlil had left Yuri's side and skated towards the monster on his own gust of wind, but it seemed as if the Persona couldn't get airborne in the same manner. Their enemy simply floated higher, out of reach, cackling all the while.

Yuri stumbled over to Hisako, his forearm covering his eyes, and crouched down next to her. "We need to take that thing out, but I think wind isn't going to work very well against it."

"Yes, yes, how novel. Ignore or destroy anything that doesn't agree with you," it taunted and demonstrating his point, nullified one of Enlil's attacks with its own. "Paint over it and start fresh! Keep trying, master, maybe you'll manage to exhaust yourself faster!"

Yuri flinched at the title. For Hisako, it just clinched it. This was the same situation, so she had to use the same tactics. She leaned out from behind Inanna and shouted, "Hey monster! There is more to people than how they look, and I don't want you to paint me!"

"I haven't the faintest as to what you're talking about," it replied, visibly confused, brown drawn together. Even from that distance, its eyes sparkled despite its expression—Hisako was pushed into Yuri by Inanna to break the eye contact.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, though to her or her Persona, she didn't actually know.

"Sorry, I just thought maybe it would work," she mumbled through her blush. "Inanna, can you help us avoid looking at that thing? That doesn't involve standing in front of us and shoving me."

After a beat, Inanna nodded. With a great pull that Hisako felt in her chest, she erected a wall of ice in front of them. Feeling dizzy, Hisako peered through it; it was translucent enough to make out silhouettes, but that was about it. And she didn't feel any draw towards the creature anymore.

"Thank you, but now I need you to help Enlil. Just try not to get hit, okay?" she asked, a little faintly. She glanced at Yuri out of the corner of her eye, but he hadn't seemed to notice.

"Enlil can nullify the wind attacks. We just need something that _isn't_ wind that we can throw at it."

"I think we can handle that." The pair watched through their shield as Inanna ran into the fray, heaving an ice spear up at the monster. It screeched and barely flew out of the way in time. The Personas circled below it, and it danced through the air, dodging more hits than it took.

"Um, how much of my rescue attempt do you remember?" Yuri asked awkwardly.

"There was a lot of talking," she replied without taking her eyes from the fight. She didn't mean to avoid the topic, but she wasn't sure how much of it was okay to talk about, and how much he remembered.

"I know, but, uh… You realize that it wasn't so much the…" he trailed off and she finally turned to look at him. He immediately avoided her gaze. "I don't remember a lot of what happened but I remember that I was really, really surprised when you said you didn't want me to paint you, it wasn't that I-I have this fixation on painting, or you, or anything like that, I was just shocked that someone didn't care about something everyone else cares about, all I ever hear about is people wanting more portraits or see art shows or all of that garbage, and it was strange to hear something else, so can we _please_ for the love of god let the painting thing die? It's not all I am."

Hisako blinked at him. She was pretty sure that all had been in a single breath.

Yuri finally met her eyes, with a red face and sour frown, and she couldn't help but crack a smile. He scowled.

"I won't go shouting it at any monsters anymore if you promise to not to talk so fast," she replied as a way of fielding. She still had to process what he had actually said. Come to think of it, maybe she had been focusing too much on that one aspect of it, but in her defense, they _had_ just gone through an art gallery. "Then, do you have any idea how we should stop that monster? Inanna's only going to exhaust herself by throwing ice and hoping it hits. If we could catch it off guard…"

"I don't want to claim that as mine," he grumpily replied.

"Yuri-kun, I won't say it is yours, but it's in _your_ area and seems to have some, um, similarities to your… ideas." And it had addressed him as master.

"This isn't my area," he maintained. She felt a little pinprick of annoyance that wasn't from Inanna.

"It's where I found you. You decorated it."

"When some sort of rogue god had been possessing me."

"It sure seemed to be talking about things that you would."

"How do you know? You hardly knew me at the time."

"I know you—well, a little better now, and I think you're just trying to distance yourself from your problems," Hisako pointed out and he recoiled. Bingo.

"And _what_ , exactly, do you think these problems are? Because right now, I think our only problem should be that _thing_ out there!"

"But if they're related, maybe we could—"

"I don't have any problems!"

Enlil abruptly vanished.

Yuri's breath caught and Hisako felt the raw alarm from Inanna before she herself could process it. Even the monster in the air drooped a little. He took an unsteady breath and looked down at his hands. She reached out, hesitant, towards him with a, "Yuri-kun? Are you—"

Enlil reappeared with a blinding flash directly behind him, just as Yuri pitched forward in a faint. The Persona flickered momentarily, scowling darkly, but settled back solidly onto their plane. With his eyes hidden behind his mask, he was impossible to read as he looked down at the unconscious boy.

Hisako felt something like fear—irrationally, she knew. She should not be afraid of her friend's Persona. Enlil turned from her and with a rush of air, he was gone, back to Inanna's side, just in time to block an attack. She waited to make sure that they were all fully invested in the fight again—and that Enlil was not disappearing again—before she reached out for Yuri. She pulled him up, concerned to find his nose bleeding, and tried to rouse him.

Thankfully he awoke almost immediately. "Enlil!" he gasped out, then noticed the blood on his lip.

As he wiped it off with a frown, Hisako gestured out to the battle. "He came back, and he looks alright. Are _you_ alright?"

"I feel fine." It was an obvious lie.

"...What happened?"

"I don't know," he mumbled, sounding grumpy again. She restrained a sigh. They would have to talk about it later, when they weren't fighting pretty-eyed monsters, or when he had some distance between himself and that place. Hopefully it would help, because she didn't know what else would. She preferred to talk about her problems, and couldn't see why he was so against it.

Although, maybe that was on her. As she watched Inanna and Enlil beat on the monster, it occurred to her that maybe simply getting rid of it would help Yuri. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything. Maybe forcing him to talk about things wasn't the best route.

"...Okay, let's help our Personas." She stood up, dusting off her skirt, and extended a hand to help him up as well. She was glad he didn't turn her down.

"Help them to do what? They seem to be handling things fairly well as they are."

"I get the feeling we shouldn't just turn them loose like this. I… don't really know how to explain it."

He ran his wrist under his nose one last time, and it seemed to be done bleeding. Yuri glanced at the ice barrier between them and the monster. "We're not going to be able to keep track of the fight."

"If we circle around behind them, or just look at our Personas instead…" She was already striding purposefully towards them, risking only small glances at the floating figure, otherwise keeping her eyes on the ground. She heard Yuri follow. As they neared, she felt a pang of surprise from Inanna and raised her gaze to smile reassuringly, but she found another in between them, with beautiful blue eyes deeper than the ocean.

Strange, she didn't remember her mother having blue eyes. The woman curled a finger under her chin to tilt her head back, and it broke their eye contact long enough for Hisako to realize that the nails at her neck were half as long as her forearm. The monster turned and smiled at Inanna, nearly knocking Yuri in the head with its horns, and said, "Such silly, ugly things you two shadow. Walking straight into danger like this, not having the willpower to resist such raw beauty! Pitiful."

"Or maybe we know easy targets would keep you stationary," Hisako replied and she thanked every deity she could recall that Inanna read her intent before the enemy heard her words. The ice pierced its chest, splintering out into more shards as it went, and halted just a hair's breadth from Hisako.

The monster shrieked but before it could lash out, Inanna heaved it up over her head, and threw both it and the ice spear at the nearest wall. Enlil skated after it with a gust and was on it before it even hit the wall. Inanna stayed put, looking down her nose at her host, and her eyes were definitely critical underneath the blindfold. At least Yuri asked, "Are you okay?! Was that your plan all along?"

"Um, no, not really…" she admitted. Inanna's annoyance grew. "I still don't think being so separate from them is a good idea. But maybe running headfirst into a fight isn't the best way to go about that." At that, the pressure of her irritation subsided, and the Persona rejoined the other. Hisako couldn't help but feel relieved. They really had to work on the Persona-host bonding.

"...How could you be so sure we didn't just run out here to be massacred?" he asked faintly.

"Enlil wasn't going to lose you again, and I'm sure Inanna didn't want anything to happen to me. Besides, they needed a target, and I thought maybe—" She cut herself short. She had thought that the monster may go for _Yuri_ again, since they were related, but that was a horrible thought. On several levels.

"I suppose it's dead now, at least." He swayed on the spot as she glanced over to find the monster's slumped body disappear into a haze of black smoke. Her attention snapped back around to him when she heard the thump, however.

Kneeling beside him, unsure of what exactly to do but glad to see he was still awake, she could only ask, "Are you okay?"

"I guess we both are. For now. Sorry, I'm just tired," he said and pressed his palms against his eyes. She thought about checking his forehead or patting him on the shoulder or something, but _hesitated_.

Instead, she stood back up, and extended her hand down to him again. Behind them, the massive door swung open. "I'm tired, too."

"I'm tired of this place."

"It's gone now. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried."

He peeked up at her through his fingers. "...Sorry I snapped at you. Let's just… talk about it later. We have to focus on Sakuraba now."

Yuri took her hand and they both turned to the open doorway. It was the only place left to go; Suzuka had to be through it. They were both exhausted, but they didn't have any other choice, and at least Hisako wasn't alone that time. She gave his hand a squeeze before letting go in favor of motioning Inanna over.

Instead, both Personas vanished, Inanna after yet another flash of distaste. The kids grimaced in unison. "Maybe we do have to work on the bonding," he agreed.

Soon enough, coated in healing paint, and with Yuri looking significantly paler than normal, the two would-be rescuers looked through the large doorway. Stairs wound downward, dimly lit at the base, mirroring the entrance into Irkalla. Hisako couldn't see the bottom.

"Well," she said as bravely as she could, "I suppose we must."

"I suppose," Yuri replied with far more hesitance.

It took her a couple more moments to steel herself, but she led the way. It might have been her imagination, or it could have been the narrow walls, but it seemed darker in the stairwell than the large room above. She glanced back to ask Yuri if he thought so, too, but instead found him walking back up. "Yuri-kun?"

He froze guiltily, but then took the last step back into his room. "...Sorry, just making sure I can get out of this one on my own," he mumbled and quickly pattered back down after her. She hadn't thought about that, but at least someone had. She smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

The stairs continually curved to the right, but they actually ended sooner than she had dreaded. Instead of a large open space like where Nergal lived, however, it put them right back into another maze. They faltered again at the beginning.

"Does it just keep going downward?" Yuri asked.

"...Maybe, but I'm sure Suzuka-chan won't be too far now." She sure hoped so.

They walked into the labyrinth, but stopped short at two large marble statues just inside the first corridor. They weren't of any monsters, or the deities they had seen, or even of Suzuka herself. One was of Haruka, the other of a man Hisako didn't recognize.

"Is that Watanabe?" he asked in surprise. Hisako nodded mutely. Haruka was in her baseball uniform, holding two books aloft, her twin braids curled out over her shoulders looking almost like wings. It was a magnificent statue, but it frightened her to think of why it was of her. "So then, who's this?"

She followed Yuri over to the other, craning her head back to try to study the face. The man was young, handsome, looking sophisticated and intelligent and charming all at once. "I think… it might be of her brother. She's talked about him before," she said slowly. She had no idea who else it could be; too old to be her father, it wasn't any of their teachers, and she didn't think Suzuka had a job…

"...The first part of Irkalla didn't have anything like this. It was only towards the end that there was the, uh, gallery of my things."

She didn't want to think about that, either. "Let's just move on."

Right away, they nearly stumbled over a small, silently crying creature. Hisako and Yuri jumped back. flailing for their knives, but the creature gave a wail and ran from them. After a beat in which it did not come back with reinforcements, they chuckled nervously and continued on.

The next monster they ran into, however, was not so kind. A bright green bipedal lizard with a mask and necklace of skulls was not what they had been expecting, and the element of surprise (and sheer bafflement) gave it time to raise its staff like a lightning rod, calling down a bolt of electricity that then bounded on over to them. She felt the sensation of her joints locking up before the pain hit, and she was floored.

She must have blacked out momentarily, since she wasn't sure how she ended up being dragged with its long tail around her waist, and every movement jarred her; she alternated between numbness and dull pain, and she wasn't sure which one was better. She raised her head and saw her palette knife and one of her shoes back by Yuri.

She bit the inside of her cheek, ignoring how the jaw movement made her ears hurt, and once again, she was saved by Inanna. The giant woman drop kicked the lizard creature before it noticed her, and Hisako scuttled awkwardly away. Crouching by Yuri, she made sure he was still breathing, and then hurriedly took out her earrings at another crack of lightning. Her lower back burned too, but she could only stuff the back of her shirt further down her skirt.

As Yuri sat up with a grunt, the lizard went sailing over their heads, colliding with a crack. It bounced off towards them and didn't move, but just for a moment. It got up to its feet, and Inanna was half a hallway away. Yuri held out his knife towards it in pitiful defense; it raised its staff, and rather than diving for her own knife, Hisako took a more proactive approach. She lunged at it, knocking its weapon away, despite how it made her hands tingle. She had size on the lizard and forced it down with little difficulty.

Yuri, by her side at once, drove the painting knife into its neck. It still thrashed, so he did it again, and then, with a final jab into its eye socket, the thing died. Hisako sat back on her heels beside him and they both looked at the blackish blood on their hands.

Before she could thank him for his help, Yuri burst out, " _Stop_ throwing yourself at these monsters like that!"

Inanna's annoyance echoed his sentiment. She was easier to ignore. As the lizard's body dissipated into murky smoke, she reached over and grabbed its staff, preventing it from disappearing as well. "Well… It worked."

"One of these times, it isn't," he grumbled.

"And now I have this." It had a longer reach, which she liked, and evidently conducted magic. She raised it triumphantly. When nothing happened, Yuri rolled his eyes and messed with his hair while Hisako tried to figure out why it hadn't worked. Maybe it had been a _little_ unreasonable to think she could start casting lightning spells, but there was no reason it wouldn't work for her.

Enlil appeared with his customary breeze. He swiped his paintbrush over Yuri's face, and then, with a nod, tried to do the same for Hisako. She ducked out of the way with a whine. The two frowned at her in an identical manner. "You got zapped, too."

"I'm fine," she mumbled and shook the stick. Still no magic.

"I know my ears are burned, so yours have to be too, and doesn't your skirt have a zipper?"

"Your ears are pierced?" she asked in surprise, and was momentarily off-guard enough to allow Enlil to wipe his brush across her face. Hardly any of it made it to her ears, so she sullenly wiped the paint around on her face until they felt better.

In apology, he tucked his hair back behind his ears, showing her that they were indeed pierced. "Yeah. Uh, Mika and I got them pierced together a long time ago, and even if I don't wear anything in them, they won't close up. Dumb kid stuff."

"Kid stuff?"

"We weren't old enough to get it done without our parents, so we sort of had her cousin do it in her garage. We were thirteen, I think?" He cocked his head back, thinking. She bit the inside of her cheeks to stop from smiling or exclaiming how cute that was.

"I hadn't known you two were friends."

"For a good chunk of our childhood, I suppose." His cheeks might have reddened a bit, and he stared at Hisako. "Do you mind turning around?"

"Huh?"

"Metal belt buckle."

"O-Oh." She quickly gave him privacy and set about examining the staff once more. It looked like wood, but felt completely smooth and strangely light.

Inanna startled her by leaning over into her periphery. The Persona frowned and her brow furrowed beneath her blindfold, and then she tapped the end of Hisako's staff with her own. It flared bright blue, and then did nothing else.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" she asked. Inanna cast ice magic over it, and to her amazement, it absorbed it. She swung it, and it threw the ice back out like a sling. It turned out to be a one-time deal, though, so she pestered and prodded at Inanna until she recharged it. "Yuri-kun, look what I can—"

There was a wall behind her where Yuri and Enlil had just been.

-.-.-

Enlil, arms crossed, waited for Yuri to stop banging on the wall. Yuri could feel him pressing in on the back of his mind, ten kinds of exasperated, but he didn't care for his Persona's judgment right then. "Fujihara?! _Fujihara_!"

Enlil's impatience practically screamed in his head. It did no favors for his mood. They tried attacking, hitting, climbing, and just like every other wall in the maze of Irkalla, it didn't help in the least. Finally, exhausted from the stress of panic as well as having Enlil use magic, Yuri collapsed against the wall and slid down it, defeated.

It was the first time he was fully conscious while being in Irkalla alone. He had Enlil, but he still wasn't sure of his feelings towards the mute giant. Something just felt… off.

But Hisako had managed to get through all of the first section by herself. Sure, she had been a wreck by the time she caught up with him, but… If she could do it, so could he, right?

"You're welcome, by the way," a very annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts. Yuri jumped, perhaps a little belatedly, and of all things or monsters or people to find, he found Suzuka Sakuraba sitting on the pedestal of the statue of Haruka.

"S-Sakuraba?" he replied dumbly.

"It's so annoying not to get thanked for the work you do, you know?" she said with an uncharacteristic bite to her words.

"Thank you?"

She eased back into a smile that was a little more reassuring. Yuri stood up, unsure of whether or not to approach her. She was Hisako's friend, really; they only knew each other from school. "Your side is the one attached to the exit. I'm sure she could circle back around with some time, but it's right over there, where you came in." Suzuka pointed back to a turn in the passage.

"I remember."

"So… go?" she said, clearly confused.

"We're here to rescue you," Yuri replied, just as confused by the conversation.

"Dude, I just rescued _you_."

"That fight had been over for a little while."

"No, I mean—from the other one. You were only dragged in here because of her, right? My feelings won't be hurt if you turn around and leave right now, promise. I don't want to force you into playing cheerleader just on my account," Suzuka said as she slid off of the base of the statue.

As she walked closer, Enlil defensively stepped in front of Yuri. She didn't bat an eye. "Sakuraba, I know what you're probably thinking. You probably want to stay in this place forever, right?" he fielded as he backed up into the wall. He was physically cornered by a short redhead, just great.

"Well, yeah. It's mine now, so why should I want to leave it? And the first rule of my land is that everyone gets to make their own decisions and no one gets dragged along on any so-called _adventures_ they don't want to go along with. Are you trying to break my rules?" As she neared, the pressure on his brain intensified, and he was aware it was not Enlil's doing. That worried him even more.

"She promised you this place, she promised you the power to do whatever you want with it. And you _can_ do anything you want with it, and that feeling is the best feeling in the world, isn't it?" Yuri asked nervously.

She halted, just an arm's length away from Enlil. From that close, he could see the tips of her curls were a charcoal color and her horns were already fully black as well. That probably wasn't a good sign, either.

So he continued breathlessly, "I know what that feeling is like. I still have nightmares about that feeling, of having my own world, of raising monsters, of decorating my halls. And it is terrifying to even admit that out loud. So that's why I'm here. Because you're Fujihara's friend, and you're my classmate, and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you. It's my own choice to help her—and you."

Suzuka looked taken aback by his outburst. Some base level of himself was embarrassed by it, but mostly he was glad she had stopped advancing on him. She didn't have a Persona, and looked quite human, but he didn't want to test that. Not without warning or backup.

"That's too bad. I see now that you're too far gone to save in this situation," she told him with a voice that wasn't her own.

She raised her arm, and he wasn't about to wait around and find out what she meant. Enlil swiped his brush down, sending her flying with a gust of wind, and they bolted. He took as many twists as he could find, hoping to lose her, but he was far from an athlete. Too soon, he was completely out of breath, and ducked around one last corner.

Suzuka was nowhere in sight. Even peeking back down the route he came from showed she hadn't followed him, or had lost him completely.

Enlil squatted down beside him, balancing his paint brush on his knees.

"No, we couldn't have fought her," Yuri said in annoyance.

The giant sighed silently.

"Fujihara likes to talk her way out of things, so I figured we could give it a shot… Come on, we're already lost, so we may as well keep moving. I'm sure we'll run into her again soon." He groaned at his stiff muscles. It was getting worse every time he stopped for a break, he'd noticed. Enlil offered the bristles of his paint brush in sympathy, but that was a (very) temporary fix.

Traveling on his own, he soon discovered that it was far more practical to simply avoid the monsters rather than try to destroy every single one. But he could hardly outrun any of them, and the more Enlil saved him, the more tired he felt. While he gained a new respect for what Hisako had gone through to get to him, he wasn't sure he could handle much more by himself.

And then Enlil's magic failed.

The eel he was fighting slithered through the air after him, jaws open wide, ignoring Enlil now that he couldn't blow it back. The Persona used its empty brush like a bat to throw it back, and then stabbed it with the other end to kill it. At least they could still fight, but Yuri's hands were trembling so badly that he could hardly hold his knife.

Just when panic was seeping back into his thoughts, a blast of cold froze the floor in front of them and Hisako skated up. Literally skated, since she had frozen most of her shoes in order to make blades on the bottom. "Yuri-kun!" She wobbled in front of him, eyes looking suspiciously shiny, and he could have hugged her. She had bruises and scrapes all along her face and what he could see of her arms, and he guiltily remembered that Inanna couldn't heal her.

"Thank god you arrived when you did," he said and sagged against Enlil. "I'm not sure how much longer we could have lasted."

She glanced between them and asked, "Can't Enlil keep you healed?"

"I guess he's as tired as I am."

She awkwardly stepped off of the ice and dug around in her bag. "Here," she said and offered him a pretty little glass vial of something clear.

"What is this?"

"It may be better if you don't know."

"I am definitely not going to drink this if you say that," he said flatly.

She more fell than sat down, adjusting her skirt around her knees, and he realized she had several scratches and burns along her legs. "The monsters are dropping things. When we kill them, sometimes they leave things, and Inanna and I ran into one of those crying things on accident. She killed it, and I am sincerely thankful she did, because I found out that they leave behind _those_ when they die."

"But what is it?" Yuri maintained.

"It tastes like water. I-I don't honestly know, but I tried some and it gave me a lot of my energy back. I was exhausted, and I was desperate, and it didn't look or smell funny," she said hastily. "And it kept Inanna using magic, which was what saved us. Oh, but look! I think this staff was something the skull-lizard dropped, too!"

"Didn't you just steal it from it?"

"Maybe, but Inanna can give it a charge and then _I_ can cast ice attacks! I've been using it to freeze the floors in front of me so I can skate." Hisako exclaimed with a grin. "It's a lot faster than running, and it came back to me pretty quick. _Please_ tell me you can ice skate, Yuri-kun."

"...It's been a couple years," he admitted. True to her word, the little vial didn't smell or look terribly evil, and she was still alive in front of him. Partly out of faith and partly out of having no other options, he tilted his head back and emptied it in one swallow. He nearly expected to gag or cough it back up, but it really did have very little taste.

Enlil flexed and waved his paintbrush, colorful once again. Without being prompted, he flicked little bits of healing paint at Yuri, and the boy wasn't sure he liked the independent thought or not. Hisako smiled proudly, but she had a fidget and Inanna was glowering behind her.

"Do you have anything that needs fixed?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh, yes please," Hisako said in clear relief and Inanna's expression relaxed. She politely pointed out spots to Enlil, who responded by simply covering large parts of her in mint green paint.

"You _can_ just ask if you need my help," Yuri told her. He felt a little strange saying that, considering his run-in with Suzuka, but he felt reassured by Hisako's answering smile.

"I'll ask if it's important."

"Just ask me. I'd rather have you in top form than anything else." Her smile faltered a little and he looked away, feeling his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. "I just, I mean, it was rough running through here on my own. I don't know how you did it. And being by myself with Enlil worries me sometimes, and it's just sort of nice to remember that I'm needed here too, and _please_ say something so I can finally shut up."

Playing with her hair, she warmly replied, "I'm glad you're here with me, Yuri-kun. It's easier going through this knowing I can rely on someone else, too."

Just as he was opening his mouth, about to mention _oh by the way I ran into Sakuraba and was I that creepy when I was possessed_ , a bright flash of light made them both flinch. Yuri blinked spots out of his eyes while Hisako stared down at a card that had appeared in her hands. "...Okay, I saw it that time."

"You did?"

"Maybe it's because we're down here?"

"Maybe…" She frowned at it and turned it over. "But I already have this one. Oh, I guess this has another little star down here…"

She handed it to Yuri and to both of their surprise, he could handle it just fine. It looked like a regular tarot card, made of normal material, with absolutely nothing strange about it—aside from the fact that it appeared out of thin air. Their Personas looked uneasily at each other.

"I guess you saw the first one I got, didn't you?"

"I didn't see the light show then. Did you hear anything strange this time?"

"Something about a Magician. It wasn't as clear this time. All of this is so confusing, but right now, we have to save Suzuka-chan." She got back up to her feet with some help from Inanna, and, seemingly reminded of the blades on her shoes, grinned at her companion. "And re-teach you how to ice skate."

There was something to be said for the girl who ignored voices in her head, threw herself at monsters, looked forward to getting covered in paint, and learned how to create an ice rink out of a supernatural labyrinth. Yuri just wasn't sure what that something was yet.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Painter social link has ranked up! The Magician arcana has reached rank 2.


	7. Zionga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a pitcher cries and twins cross professional bounds.

Hisako and Yuri found out from firsthand experience how rapidly someone could develop arachnophobia. Hisako also found out that she could beat a spider monster to death with a stick in a panic. "Why did it have to be spiders?" Yuri groaned as she rooted around in the leftover smoke for loot. About one in five or six monsters dropped some sort of item, and Hisako had become determined to find them all. "Why not something harmless, like butterflies?"

The spider hadn't given them anything (but a heart attack), so they traipsed onward. To his continued embarrassment, ice skating didn't come back to him as quickly as he'd hoped, so they spent large chunks of time walking instead of skating. But together, they were stronger, and whatever that drink had been had really helped.

They rounded a corner to find a trio of grotesque butterflies blocking their path, two of them dripping fire from their curled mouths. Hisako yelped and they both scrambled out of the way of a jet of flames. " _Really_?! Why couldn't you have wished for fluffy bunnies?"

"I want fluffy bunnies!" Yuri shouted to the maze. The maze did not give them bunnies.

"Are you up for fighting them?" They had an agreement about different types of monsters; Yuri would take care of the fire ones for her, and Hisako would take care of the ice ones for him.

He nodded, summoned Enlil, and charged back out into the hallway. He came back a moment later with frost coating his shirt. "That's a no."

Hisako brought Inanna out, and then while Enlil kept the butterflies away, she rebuilt the skates on their shoes and froze the floor to the other turn in the hallway. She wasn't opposed to spending time walking, but she was starting to feel the strain of repeatedly creating blades for them. Not that she'd mention it. She knew Yuri was exhausted, too, and as far as they could tell, they weren't making any definitive progress. Their phones were dead and neither of them had a watch on them, but it had to have been hours just since they had entered into Suzuka's section.

"Ready?" she asked and he nodded more firmly. Enlil and Inanna kept the butterflies from killing them as they raced past. Yuri wobbled a bit as they turned a corner, and Hisako froze the floor of the next corridor while they waited for the Personas to catch up.

Inanna and Hisako alternated creating layers of ice to skate on, and they had to slow so Yuri wouldn't fall (again), and so they continued. The two Persona users were being exceedingly polite to each other, a sure sign of underlying annoyance, but she hoped it was only because they were tired. They _had_ to be getting closer to Suzuka.

"How many of these have we passed?" she asked as they went between another pair of statues. As they had progressed, the statues had shown more signs of wear; Haruka's pigtails had completely cracked off, her brother was missing an arm and half of his head, and both of them had faces worn down to nothing. It was more than eerie by that point.

"Six, maybe seven? I don't know," he grunted.

She meekly cut off the conversation there. If he wanted to talk, he would.

They skated past more and more enemies, though she itched to see if they would give them any items they could use. Regardless of what he said, she knew she and Inanna would go after the next crying monster they saw. But without any method of pinpointing some sort of pattern to what monsters would give them valuable things, it wasn't feasible to burn through their energy like that.

But oh, how she wanted to test her luck. Hisako bit back the impulse with every cry they heard and creature they glimpsed. Just keeping enough ice on the floor was taxing, let alone battling anything. _Practical, we have to be practical_ , she reminded herself for the umpteenth time.

And for the umpteenth and first time, she really wished the Velvet Room would appear to help her out.

"Is that a sunflower?" Yuri asked abruptly, wobbling to a halt down a fork in the hallway. Hisako circled back to him curiously, and there was actually a sunflower at the end of a dead end.

But what caught her eye was what was behind it. "Is that a treasure chest?" she gasped in delight. It could have something in there to give them energy back again, and then they could stop being so curt with one another! With a wave of her staff, she cast ice onto the floor and gleefully went to investigate.

"But what about that flower?" Yuri called after her.

She slowed, but the flower hadn't moved. It didn't have teeth or claws or wings or any sort of strangeness to it; for all appearances, it looked to be a normal sunflower. Still, she gave it as much room as she could. She skittered around it, skated up to the chest, and pried it open with her knife. Inside, it wasn't healing items or weapons or anything she had been expecting.

"What is it?" Yuri asked from afar.

"...Gold, I think. Inanna, come here please!" Her Persona grumpily floated over and leaned down so Hisako could compare the coins within the chest to her necklace. The color and texture seemed the same, and the coins were surprisingly heavy for their size.

" _Gold_?" he asked in disbelief and curiosity finally compelled him to skate closer. The two peered into the chest. It was hardly overflowing, but there were enough gold coins to keep their attention. If they really _were_ gold, at any rate, but that's what pockets were for. They could figure it out later, and neither of them had any idea of the going rate of gold, but hospital stays were not cheap.

They turned back around with significantly heavier pockets to find that the sunflower had made friends. A field of them stretched down the entire hallway, thick and bright and all facing them. "...It hadn't been pointed this way when we got here, had it?"

"There also hadn't been two hundred of them," he agreed.

She rose her staff above her head, and, when the nearest didn't attack, she brought it down and broke its stalk. The flower head fell to the ground and disappeared in the normal amount of smoke. Still normal. They nodded to each other, and then awkwardly stumbled back through the flowers, hacking and slashing to clear a path for themselves. The floor was still icy, but it was covered in vines and roots and leaves.

Halfway through, she realized the floor was beginning to sway. So it _had_ been too much to hope for that they'd been harmless flowers. Hisako staggered and tripped over a root, falling into what seemed to be a particularly thick patch of them. She heard Yuri yelp somewhere ahead of her. Had the sunflowers always been purple? She fought to get back to her feet, but the entire hallway was spinning, and she just felt dizzier and dizzier.

She finally got to her feet, just in time to see some sort of tall, dark monster barrelling at her. She screamed and caught it in an upswing against its jaw. Yuri swore somewhere too close to her and she whirled around, looking desperately for him or Inanna, but the sunflowers had grown to her height. They left glowing trails of orange as she shoved them out of her way, having picked a random direction to run in, and she could have sworn they had all sprouted blood red masks in the time it took her to blink.

She tripped again over more of the twisting vines. Something leapt upon her while she was down, hauling her back up to her feet by her hair, despite how she scratched and shouted for help. Too-large fingers wound themselves in her hair and the blank white figure dragged her through the flowers with evident ease. It wasn't until she realized how _cold_ the fingers were that it clicked in her mind. "I-Inanna?"

It wasn't as clear as normal, but she felt _something_ push at the back of her mind. Scared, confused, and _hurt_ that her Persona wouldn't release her, Hisako could only march alongside the featureless silhouette. The sunflowers continued to sway and change colors.

Inanna forced her out of the field of dancing flowers and made her sit down by a wall that looked blessedly plain. She didn't let her stand up again. Hisako pressed her palms against her eyes to get rid of the afterimages, but the sunflowers stubbornly stayed. Inanna wasn't an empty outline, she reminded herself, and even if the flowers didn't fade, at least that image did.

She didn't know how long it took for her mind's eye to return to calm blackness. She carefully peeked through her fingers. The hallway was clear of everything, save for Yuri and Enlil sitting by the opposite wall. It seemed as if her classmate had a fresh coat of paint on his face; it didn't quite cover the dried blood smeared along one cheek.

"Is it over?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yeah," he grunted back. Without looking at her, he stood up and brushed himself off. Enlil, however, shot Inanna a nasty glare as he floated after his host.

"What was that?" Hisako asked as she shuffled after him. She felt embarrassed, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Surely that had been a spectacle to behold, yet she still couldn't shake the colors and the swaying movements from her memory. She wasn't sure what had happened, what had been in her mind, and worst, what it would have looked like from his point of view.

"It had to have been the damned flower, but I don't really know _what_ happened."

Whatever had happened from anyone's perspective, Yuri had been the one to take care of it. Inanna had pulled her from the flowers, too, but he had destroyed the flowers on his own. It was a small comfort to her; she had dragged him down there, and she had been unable to carry her own weight.

They passed another pair of statues at last. Haruka's had broken off at the waist, and the brother's was missing his head and one shoulder. Hisako had taken them to show that they were headed in the right direction, so as creepy as they were, they were nearing Suzuka.

 _But_ , she thought, _what happens when the statues are completely gone?_

They walked rather than skated, only talking when necessary, which didn't particularly help her mood. She had no issue apologizing, except for the fact that she wouldn't know what to apologize _for_.

Things got temporarily better when Inanna caught sight of one of the crying monsters and she and Hisako managed to destroy it after a wild chase. She did get separated from Yuri, but only briefly, and it was easy enough to double back when half the walls were coated in ice. She cheerfully insisted he drink the water, and he flatly maintained that she do, and she won when she pointed out that she and Inanna were far better at simply hitting things to kill them, whereas he wasn't.

Inanna glowered at her for what seemed like hours afterward, but it was the best apology she could offer. Inanna would just have to deal with that for a little while longer.

They found another pair of statues. Haruka's was mostly smashed, even charred in places, and the other was cut cleanly into chunks and scattered along the path. Neither had anything actually attached to the pedestals they'd been standing on. Hisako felt a stab of fear, deep in her gut, and she had a feeling they were out of path markers.

"...We have to be getting close. Right?" Yuri asked weakly as they finally came across the brother's broken head, well out of sight of its stand.

"Yeah, of course," she replied.

They trudged onward in a scared silence. Inanna and Enlil disappeared as often as they could, but the kids kept bleeding, just to have them there. They were getting ambushed too often, and a stick and two painting knives were hardly the best defense.

 _How long can we keep walking?_ Hisako wondered darkly. _If we keep finding items to give us energy, if Yuri can keep healing us, if we can keep killing monsters… How long can we actually keep going?_

She wished they had some sort of method to tell how long they had been down there. She felt not just exhausted, but also tired. Inanna was in a perpetually foul and weary mood, and she would bet that Enlil was feeling the same. Yuri had all but given up on talking and just followed Hisako like some sort of sick, defeated puppy.

How long would they keep going in hope of saving a friend? How long _could_ they continue on?

Just when those poisonous thoughts were beginning to roll around in her head, they came across a statue. A single one, right in the middle of the path, larger than either of the others. It was of Suzuka, hands raised towards the heavens, with a beatific smile on her face. Hisako almost sobbed in relief, and Yuri collapsed to his knees with a sigh to match.

Hisako really did start crying when she saw the human-sized figure out in the open expanse past the statue. "Suzuka-chan!" She climbed gracelessly over the statue, stumbling into a run, and remembered halfway there that sprinting up to possessed classmates wasn't the best of ideas.

Yuri kept close to Enlil, approaching her with caution, and Inanna was vibrating with poorly-concealed frustration. Hisako turned to smile at Yuri, hoping to reassure, and he returned it with a grimace.

"Suzuka-chan, we're here to rescue you," she called across the open space.

Suzuka turned to face them with a bright grin that seemed… off. "I was wondering when you'd get here!" she called back, cupping her hands around her mouth. Her voice seemed similarly off, but she recalled that being the same with Yuri. "Wow, you seem to have had a rough time of it!"

"Yes, we have," Hisako agreed with a helpless laugh. "So, it would be really great if we could just head back now."

"Head back?" she repeated and there was an edge to her voice like breaking glass.

"I don't think this will be that easy," Yuri said lowly, at her shoulder.

"I know. I was just hoping…" Hisako whispered back. She sighed and stepped towards the redheaded girl. "Suzuka-chan, why don't you want to head back with us?"

"What would be the point? It's not like anyone wants _me_ to be up there. No, down here is pretty nice, and look at all this space!"

"Brace yourself," she said as an aside to Yuri, and he made a confused sound, but instead of answering, she called over, " _We_ want you to come back! And so does your family!" Suzuka visibly went rigid and the atmosphere suddenly felt heavier. "Haruka-chan is your best friend, and she wants you to throw that study party this weekend, remember? We both do!"

"Look out!" Yuri collided with her and they both went tumbling, just as a bolt of lightning cracked down and hit where they had just been standing.

Hisako rolled back to her feet, standing between him and Suzuka, who had gotten _way_ too close, way too fast. Her short hair was nearly standing on end with static, hiding her little horns from view, and it was half black. Hisako caught herself staring at it a beat too long, and Suzuka swung a baseball bat into her. She was fairly certain she heard a crack before she went flying.

With a howl of wind, the partial redhead was thrown across the area, and Inanna tore after her before she'd even landed. "Enlil, over here first!" Yuri shouted, at Hisako's side in an instant, hands hovering over her clearly broken arm. "That was a stupid move, Fujihara," he had to tell her before healing her.

"That's why I have you to back me up," she said with a cringe. It took three coats of paint, but she could move her hand without wanting to cry. "Please tell me this means Enlil can fix broken bones."

"Looks like it, but do _not_ go up to her again like that. What were you thinking?"

"We have to shock her. We have to get through to her, somehow, catch her off guard. At least, I think that's how it works."

"And mentioning her issues is your method of trying that?"

"Talking through problems can help—"

"Sometimes, maybe, but let's not try it when we're in the middle of a fight, alright?" He helped her back to her feet, and they turned to face Suzuka together. Hisako felt every jolt and stab of pain her classmate unleashed on her Persona, but Inanna held her own. Likewise, Suzuka shook off attacks that would have destroyed lesser monsters in Irkalla.

"Suzuka-chan! Why have you come down here?"

Yuri gave her a look, but she held up a hand. Some talking was necessary, and she had to help Inanna. Even if she could just distract Suzuka again…

"I was invited!" the other girl called back without missing a beat. She traded blows, her bat against Inanna's staff, grinning all the while. Enlil joined them with whirl of wind, and just as they were jogging to catch back up with the fight, he threw Suzuka across the space once more. She seemed particularly susceptible to his gusts, and even if they groaned in unison at having to run back the way they came, they exchanged a smile at the same realization.

She felt Inanna's irritation as she had to trudge back across the battlefield, whereas Enlil gladly skated across with his wind. Another crack of thunder, and the resulting lightning cast everything in stark contrast for a brief moment. She blinked spots out of her eyes, picking Suzuka out as a red blotch against the white walls and Enlil's white cloak, just as Inanna raced past them. Of course the Personas wouldn't be blinded; their eyes were covered.

"Suzuka-chan, you weren't invited! You were tricked!" Hisako called as she rubbed her eyes.

"Just like how you tricked your so-called friend into acting as your cheerleader this entire time?" Suzuka shouted back.

"I'm here of my own volition!" Yuri broke in, surprising Hisako. He seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. Just as they started forward again, another flash of electricity blinded them, and he actually ground out a curse while they paused yet again. "Sakuraba, I am here for you as well as her. I know what this must seem like to you, but trust me—us—when I say that we're trying to help you!"

"I told you talking can help," she couldn't resist saying.

"We can't do much else while we can't _see_ ," he shot back.

"You have a point." She squinted up at the ceiling, feeling the pull of Inanna's ice attacks, and her sight had mostly returned. Yuri nodded to her, and with hands raised against potential flashes of light, they continued on towards Suzuka. "We're both here for you, Suzuka-chan! And so would Haruka-chan or your brother, if they could."

"I'm _so_ sure!" Suzuka screamed shrilly and there was another bolt of lightning. Hisako choked on a gasp as Inanna went down, dark skin blackened from the attack. Enlil batted the possessed redhead away from her, and Hisako felt her relief at his paint, but that was immediately eclipsed by the fact that Suzuka skidded to a halt right in front of her and Yuri.

She looked a wreck, leaning on her bat—which was not a bat at all, but the arm from one of the Haruka statues. She spat out a mouthful of blood from a split lip, and then gave the two a very red smile. Hisako raised her stick with shaking hands. "Suzuka-chan, we are _here_ for you, I swear. I-I don't know why you think Haruka-chan or your brother wouldn't be, but I'm sure they love you very much, too."

"Yeah, they love me as just another stepping stone." Progress. Neither Hisako nor Yuri moved to attack her, both petrified by her suddenly being so close again. Suzuka groaned, hefted the marble arm again, and staggered towards them—just to stumble to a halt and drop her weapon in favor of leaning upon it once more. "You don't know what it's like to have a brother like this," Suzuka said, and it was not in her own voice.

"You're right, I don't," Hisako replied cautiously.

"He's a prodigy," she continued, and sounded a _little_ more like herself, "and all my life I've just been the second child. I've been _expected_ to cheer him on, support him, help him in any way I can. It's exhausting. And what do I get? Left behind in his dust."

"But he's your brother—"

"A brother who only needs me when he needs something!" Suzuka snarled and stumbled towards Hisako. She managed to swing the arm, but it was slow enough that she could block it with her staff. The blow still pushed her back.

The shorter girl swung away at Hisako's staff, barely trying to get around it. She seemed content to continue pushing her back, away from Yuri and the Personas.

"I thought Haruka was different, but then she became the big star English student! Do you know how many nights I've spent with her studying? How many quizzes I've failed because I couldn't study for them instead? How many times I've been asked why _my_ English isn't any better?! They're just using me! Everyone uses everyone else, and I want a world where that _stops_!"

"Haruka-chan is your best friend! And I'm sure your brother cares deeply for you! Just last week you were so excited about his new girlfriend, remember?"

" _Fiancée_!" Suzuka roared and her next swing threw Hisako back onto her butt. Crackling with electricity, she stood over the blonde, and barked, "I'm expected to be happy for him! _Again_! And I can't care about him just because I'm told to! I can't be excited for Haruka because I'm supposed to be! I'm sick and tired of people simply expecting me to play nice and support the true stars, throw myself under the bus for them, and _this_ is the first place I've been to in my life where _I_ get to be the star!"

Hisako raised her staff to defend herself, but Suzuka hooked her foot underneath it, pulled it away, and kicked it up into her other hand. She turned on Yuri with a glower, one weapon in each hand. He kept his painting knife in between them, trembling.

"We're not here for you!" Hisako shouted in a panic and Suzuka froze in place, hair falling limply around her ears at the sudden lack of charge. Something in her eyes broke and she slowly turned back to the blonde girl. "We're not here for you, Suzuka-chan. We're here for us, we're here because _we_ want to help _you_."

Her expression broke completely, and, eyes shining with tears, she dropped both the arm and the stick. Suzuka had time to suck in one tearful, broken gasp before she was knocked flat on her back by a lightning strike.

Hisako could only cover her eyes at the flash while Suzuka's screams rang out after the thunder died down. Yuri darted around her and threw himself into Hisako, still shaking, and asked over the screaming, "Is this supposed to happen?!"

She couldn't answer him. Hearing it this time, being so close, was worse than his time; she could barely breathe past the lump in her throat. Suzuka's back snapped rigid and her fingers hooked into claws, scrabbling at the floor with broken nails. Her face seemed like a mask of red; her split lip was bleeding again and there was more coming out of her nose, but all of it was dripping upward, coalescing into a vague form, before it all disappeared with a flash of light.

Something _huge_ and winding boiled up out of Suzuka, clawing its way out, shaking out a feathery golden mane and it just kept slithering out. Suzuka's voice disappeared and the creature pulled its tail out of her. The creature hovering over them all was twice the size of Enlil easily, but it didn't even look human. It was a great, green serpent, relaxing on a dark storm cloud, flicking its feathered tail idly as it leaned down to nose at Suzuka. It had a solid grey skull in place of a mask and closed its jaws over her form as she could do nothing but lay there and cry.

It placed its front claws on her, and viciously pulled. Yuri started forward, but Hisako held him back; it was the same as his had been. The creature pulled a silhouette from Suzuka, spitting it to the ground right beside them.

"T-Tiamat," Suzuka rasped, reaching up for the massive reptilian thing—no, Persona. She sat up, wiped away her tears, and looked immediately to the woman that had been pulled out of her.

Hisako grabbed her staff and scrambled to her feet. This was the first time she had seen Ngeshtin-ana so close, and the first time she had seen her after learning who she was. Dumuzi's sister, and one of the two that were condemned to Irkalla—in place of Inanna, no less. "Neh-gesh—Ngeh—You," she stammered out, pointing her stick down at the wild-haired figure.

Ngeshtin-ana raised her head up defiantly and glared at Hisako with blood red eyes. She was dressed in little more than a tattered cloak and skirt, and her wavy hair was loose around her shoulders. She had equally wavy horns sticking out between the black locks, although it was not any type that Hisako recognized.

Suzuka staggered over to her, and Tiamat hovered ominously over them all. "You…" She sunk to her knees before her, and Hisako was alarmed to find she was crying again, tears and the remnants of her bloody lip dripping off her jaw. "Wh-Why do you think I hate my brother and best friend?" Suzuka demanded with a loud sob.

"I know no one can truly hate their brother," Ngeshtin-ana said in that soft voice of hers, and then vanished with a low whistle.

"...I feel like I'm missing almost all of the context of that," Yuri said flatly, raising his voice to be heard over Suzuka's wails.

"I'm sorry, we can talk about it later. Oh, gosh, Suzuka-chan, are you—oof, okay, I-I guess that's a no," Hisako squeaked as Suzuka threw herself at her. She rubbed at her back, half-laying a little uncomfortably, but she couldn't exactly say no to her friend. "Shh, it's over now. You're okay, see?"

"I-I-I don't hate a-anyone, I swear!" Suzuka cried into her shoulder.

"I know. We can talk about that later," Hisako said beneath Yuri's pointed look. He sat down beside them, and after a moment, reached over awkwardly to pat Suzuka's hair as her horns crumpled away. Her hair slowly faded back to its normal vibrant color after they disappeared.

"There aren't any monsters here," he said and flopped back onto his back. Enlil and Inanna finally rejoined them, looking about as exhausted as they felt.

Hisako gently pulled Suzuka down with her, and all three of them simply laid on the ground, letting Suzuka cry herself out. Which happened surprisingly soon, since she almost immediately sat back up and threw up. Inanna handed Hisako down an ice chip, and she offered it to Suzuka, while the other miserably sniffled. "We don't have any water, but here, suck on this. I'm sorry, but we really can't do much for how terrible you feel right now."

"How do you know…?"

"Trust me, we know," Yuri replied from his sprawled position.

"We'll explain everything on the way back out," Hisako added. "Feel any better?"

"A little." They laid back down, side-by-side, and simply breathed for a blessedly quiet moment. Hisako doubted she had ever been so tired in her life, and had a feeling the other two would agree with the sentiment. "Okay, let's talk and be cuddly for a moment."

Yuri snorted. "Is that what we're doing?"

"I'm the one laying by the bloody vomit, so I get to decide what we're doing. It's my coping mechanism," Suzuka replied primly.

"We can move, if you'd like," Hisako offered, although she felt like she didn't want to move again for a million years.

"We're going to have to move eventually," Yuri agreed wearily.

"I'm totally down for napping in here if you two promise me an explanation afterward. Like, why is there a giant lizard in a skull mask staring at me right now. Actually, let's have that one beforehand."

"Okay, so this will be a much easier explanation if you just accept that there are things called Personas."

"Right."

"We each have one."

"Those are the giant people. Gotcha."

"We fight monsters with them. And prepare for every single supernatural entity from here on out mistaking you for yours," Hisako said with a sigh.

"Are there a lot of those?"

"It's a growing number," Yuri chimed in sleepily.

"Is it safe for us to fall asleep here?"

"All of the monsters in your section should be gone now, and with you around, they were probably scared to come here…" Hisako murmured, patting Suzuka on the wrist.

"Let's at least roll away from the vomit, please. Hey, can your big guy give us his cloak? A blanket would be great. We can make a fort."

Hisako and Yuri sat up with identical groans. Napping in Irkalla was a dumb idea at the end of a long, _long_ list of dumb ideas, but it sounded heavenly all the same. Suzuka led the way towards the entrance of her area, past scorch marks and sheets of ice. She avoided looking at the statue of herself. There was even ice splashed across the wall that far back, from when Inanna and Enlil had her pinned nearby. Hisako frowned at her reflection; _mess_ didn't even begin to describe it.

Something behind her matted, half-unbraided hair caught her eye. A large door, outlined in blue, had appeared on the opposite wall.

Hisako paused, mid-step, and it took her a moment to recall it. The Velvet Room. She turned around, and sure enough, the door was actually there. Suzuka and Yuri walked right by it without a glance. She approached it, digging out her key, equal parts glad it had reappeared and irked it hadn't appeared earlier to offer them some help. But before she could unlock it, it swung open of its own accord. The twins didn't give her any warning before they grabbed her and hauled her in.

She felt a prick at the back of her mind as Inanna vanished and she stumbled into their arms. "Wh-What?" she asked dumbly, trying to process the gentle, but abrupt, motion of the blue train car. The door behind her swung shut again, cutting off Yuri's alarmed shout.

"We can't interfere—" Octavia began.

"—but you're not fighting any longer!" Atticus finished. They leaned in, too far into her personal space for her comfort, their bright golden eyes piercing in the bluish light. "You have unlocked social links, haven't you?"

"So _you_ know what they are?" Hisako asked, half elated, half concerned at what that meant.

"But it is not like she has suddenly developed the Wild Card," Octavia said, seeming like she hadn't heard the blonde.

"But if she has social links, then there is some connection," Atticus replied, chin in hand.

Hisako watched them, sour at being ignored, and noticed that their long-nosed master was not with them. They were in another car entirely, and while everything was still undeniably blue, it looked more like a normal train car. Vague shapes draped in fog drifted past the windows and there were seats on either side of a long aisle. The only thing out of place was the large door behind her (which, reassuringly, was still there).

The assistants, once again boisterous and expressive without Igor in the room, turned to Hisako with matching smiles. "Dear guest," they said in eerie unison, "would you kindly show us your social links?"

"Um. Sure?" She didn't even know what that entailed, but soon got an answer: Octavia waved her hand, and three cards appeared between them, suspended in the air. The Magician, the Sun, and the Star, and one by one, they turned to present their faces to the assistants. "Where did you pull those from? Those are back in my room."

"We'll return them, of course," Atticus said at once. She stared at him in confusion since that didn't answer her question in the least.

"What are social links?"

"Bonds you form as you begin human social relationships with potential for growth," he replied helpfully.

"Yes, but they're normally associated with the Wild Card ability. You still have not manifested that, yet you have these. Curious," Octavia added with a thoughtful frown. She plucked the cards from the air and offered them back to Hisako. "It is as we feared. They're perfectly normal."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Having something be normal for once would be great. She took the cards and stared at them, but they offered no answers to her. Tarot cards appearing out of thin air were normal, then. Right.

"Social links are tied to the Wild Card. Your human social relations feed your various Personas' growth, making you stronger in turn. It's amazing what the human psyche can do, isn't it?" Octavia said with a dreamy sort of voice.

"But as such," Atticus gladly took over, elbowing his sister out of the way, "you're gaining this power without the Wild Card. It has nowhere to go. We had believed that somehow they had become warped and were feeding into your sole Persona instead, but that's not true. May we see your Persona?"

"Um, alright," she replied, although the idea filled her with dread she couldn't place. She fished her painting knife out of her pocket, opened a small cut on the back of her wrist, and nothing else happened. She didn't even feel Inanna push back against her in refusal. "...I _am_ supposed to be able to summon her in here, right?"

"Of course! We would never create an environment hostile to our dear guest!" Octavia replied, clearly scandalized.

Atticus held out his gloved hand to Hisako. "May I?" With perhaps the smallest bit of a blush, she nodded, and he carefully took her hand. He turned it over, looking at her palm for a moment, and then examined the cut again. Octavia hovered over the process with a furrowed brow.

"How unhelpful. We have no other recourse but then to ask _you_ , dear guest," she said with a sigh. Atticus dropped her hand and they both mustered up frowns. "Why is your Persona stronger than she should be?" Octavia asked tersely.

"Excuse me?"

"Your Persona used a bufula just earlier, when fighting against the evil force possessing your friend."

"A… what?"

"A second-tier ice magic spell. We have been watching you, and you do not have the experience level to correlate with this level of strength just yet. If your Persona is not getting any strength from these social links, then—"

The door at the end of the car slammed open. Igor took in the scene and Hisako swore the temperature dropped. "...My valued assistants, why is it that you have called our most curious guest into the Velvet Room _without_ my knowledge?" he asked with a smile that terrified her.

"Master, we were only trying to learn more about—"

"Sir, we have discovered that she has been gaining social links—"

"This is an unprofessional and discourteous manner in which to treat our guest," Igor said in exactly the same tone he used before, effortlessly cutting across their explanations. Both of them straightened, businesslike and impassive once more, and it occurred to her that they had been trying to do research on their own for her benefit.

They weren't bad people—or beings—if a little confusing and cryptic. Who knew how long Igor would have stayed out of the way? "Um, sir, I think they were just trying to help you answer some questions about what's going on. Really, I think we'd all like to know, and, well, you can't be mad at them for taking some initiative, can you?" she asked in a voice smaller than she had meant.

But Igor turned to her all the same. His smile relaxed a notch, less out of a nightmare now, and he sighed deeply. "I must humbly apologize yet again, my dear guest. I still cannot offer you any more answers than I could before, in spite of my assistants' eager research. And it is horrendously unprofessional of them to have involved you again until we had some knowledge or service to offer you," he said with a glance to them.

"At least they care enough to try," Hisako said.

She and the twins both flinched back at the sudden burst of light, and she heard something about another social link before the blues faded back into her view. There was a new tarot card hanging in the air, spinning slowly to reveal a great, smiling Moon arcana.

Igor pinched the bridge of his nose. Hisako picked it out of the air, feeling sheepish, and wished she could hide behind a chair. The twins, on the other hand, were watching her with barely restrained grins. "I did not need the demonstration, but thank you," he said in measured tones. "We have confirmed that you possess social links, yet still no Wild Card. There is nothing new for me to share with you. Octavia, Atticus, I shall speak to you about this later. Dear guest, at this point, I can only humbly request your patience while I look into this with further devotion."

"N-No problem," she squeaked back. They had clearly just given Igor the headache of the century, and she wasn't even sure _why_. But Atticus and Octavia were back to excitement and smiles, even with him in the area, so maybe that was progress?

"We will investigate this," Octavia said earnestly, clutching one of her hands.

Atticus took the other with much nodding. "And we will invite you back once we have found something out for you. We surely will, now."

Both paused. Hisako, literally stuck between them, almost wished they were back to explaining what social links and a bufula were. She twisted in their grasp to look for Igor, but he had vanished.

"...You are not just our dear guest anymore," the pale-haired woman said in a surprisingly soft tone.

"I-I guess not?"

"What may we call you?" Atticus asked.

Come to think of it, she wasn't sure they had ever addressed her by name. She remembered the introductions, but it had all been very formal and normally fast. "Mistress Fujihara?" Octavia suggested before Hisako could open her mouth.

"No, still too reserved. Social links don't act formal with one another. Mistress Hisako, to be sure."

Before she could point out that mistress anything was far from a casual nickname, Octavia argued, "One _can_ be too forward."

"Her chosen name is her first name," Atticus retorted.

"Um—"

"This is true, but we are a _social link_ now. We must mark this appropriately."

"Uh—"

"Nicknames are common with humans, yet so are their titles. General Hisako."

" _Uh_ —"

"No, no, that is not correct. They have ranking systems. Dear guest, what is your rank?"

"I don't—"

"Wasn't Inanna a queen?" Atticus asked thoughtfully and Hisako wasn't going to be part of the joke any longer.

She pulled her hands free, gaining their attention instantly. She could feel her cheeks heat up. "I-I am not a queen, or military, or a mistress, or anything. I'm just Hisako."

Octavia and Atticus stared at her for a moment, and then turned to each other. "Hisa-chan," they said in unison and that seemed to clinch it. Nevermind how informal it was, or that Hisako _still_ wasn't getting any say in the process, or that she actually just wanted to go back to getting answers about all of the supernatural goings-on. She apparently didn't get any input because two of said supernatural goings-on happily threw their arms around her and picked her up, squeezing and nuzzling and oblivious to her flailing.

"F-First rule of Moon social link!" she finally squealed, actually having to pull on their hair before they'd pay attention. What were they _made_ of? She was legitimately straining and they hardly seemed to notice. "The human gets to teach you about social boundaries! And human social boundaries mean you don't pick me up and—and _cuddle_ me without some warning first!"

They dropped her immediately.

Rubbing her head where she'd hit it against a seat, Hisako announced, "Second rule: humans aren't as durable as you two. What _are_ you?"

Each twin found something incredibly fascinating to fixate upon on each far wall. They probably would have whistled if they knew what it meant.

"...Right, okay." She stood up, dusted off her skirt, and retrieved her tarot cards and staff. "Third rule is that I would like to know all sorts of things I hope you two can tell me, but right now, I'll be content with a nap and getting Suzuka-chan out of Irkalla. Can I ask that we meet later?" Let them mull over their mysteries, and let Hisako wrap up her own stuff first.

"We will create a door wherever there is a reflection and a will in your world. Find a surface for the door to appear on, and it will appear for you," Atticus offered apologetically.

"We'll be here for you any time," Octavia added.

In perfect sync, they reached down for her hands again and brought each one to their lips. Hisako blushed up to the roots of her hair and while they were quick to release her and smile pleasantly, she had the suspicion that they knew exactly what that meant.

She opened up the door and stepped back out into the dim, battle-torn section of Irkalla she had come from. "What just happened?!" Yuri demanded almost immediately.

"You and your giant person just vanished, and then you just reappeared!" Suzuka chimed in. "Wait, why is your face all flushed?"

Hisako pocketed her cards and her key and sat down, not caring that they had just gotten moving again. "Would you two believe me if I told you that a pair of inhuman twins just became my friends?"

"Did you get a light show?" Yuri asked and she pulled the Moon back out to show him. "Then yes, I would."

"I don't get the joke," Suzuka said, looking back and forth between them.

"...Do you want the long story or the short story?" Hisako asked tiredly.

"We have all of her section and all of the first one before we're out," Yuri reminded her.

"Long story it is."

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+5)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Sensitive

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Twins social link of the Moon arcana!


	8. Ziodyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a pitcher is visited and a painter is a magical girl.

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

…

"Good morning, Ma-chan!" her father called cheerfully as he stuck his head into her room.

Hisako groaned into her pillow. The day before had been just like when she and Yuri had exited Irkalla for the first time: Suzuka got really sick, really fast, immediately upon leaving. They called for an ambulance, Yuri left to minimize suspicion, and Hisako spent most of the afternoon in a tired haze, explaining that she had been walking with her classmate and she'd collapsed.

Which meant she couldn't go straight home and sleep for twenty hours, like he probably had. Whatever sleep she had gotten, it hadn't been enough. And she still had to talk to Suzuka about what had happened, talk with the Velvet Room assistants, and figure out how to exchange several handfuls of gold coins for actual currency. Her ankles and calves were especially sore from the homemade ice skates.

Raising her head just enough to be heard, "Papa, can I just stay home today?"

"And miss school on your birthday?" Koichi sat down on the edge of her bed, pushing back her bangs to feel her forehead. "What's wrong, not feeling well?"

She couldn't lie to his face. "No… Just tired."

"We could have cake for breakfast. The sugar would help."

" _Papa_!"

"I was just kidding," he said with a chuckle. "Come on, you could see your friends at school today. Birthdays are a good time to ask for free lunch."

"No one even knows it's my birthday," she grumbled into her pillow. She didn't feel seventeen. She just felt tired.

"Well, _I_ know it's your birthday, and I also know I made you pancakes for breakfast." That got her out of bed, even if she dragged her feet the entire way. How she'd stay awake in class would be a minor miracle in itself, but chocolate chip pancakes wouldn't hurt. Maybe the sugar would actually help.

Koichi kissed her hair goodbye and it was sorely tempting to just crawl back into bed without him there. But people would worry if she and Suzuka both missed school. _And I'll tattle on him to Mika-chan if he skipped_ , she thought. If she had to suffer through a normal school day, so did Yuri.

She made it to school before she realized she had forgotten her socks again. She was too tired to care, even if Mika arched an eyebrow at her appearance. "Good morning. I trust you heard about Sakuraba already?"

"Yeah, Haruka-chan texted me," Hisako mumbled in reply. Oh, her desk was strangely comfortable.

"I hope she's alright. Do you think it's some sort of bug? You don't seem to look very well, either."

"I'm just tired, sorry."

For the first time in her life, she fell asleep during class. Haruka threw bits of paper at her, trying to keep her awake, but it was to no avail. The only upside was that it had been during history; Ms. Yamashita was a pretty understanding person.

Haruka insisted on visiting Suzuka after school, a plan which Hisako had already decided for herself, and Mika surprised them both by asking to come along as well. "I'm one of the class representatives, so I should make sure she's alright."

Mika had never visited her in the hospital, but Hisako wasn't rude enough to say that aloud. Yuri, on the other hand, was. "I don't recall getting a visit by the class rep when we were there," he said, inserting himself into their conversation like it was nothing. Mika visibly bristled.

"Maybe it was because it was you that she never did," Haruka pointed out. That made a little bit of sense. The black-haired girl steered Hisako around them before the fight could inevitably start. "Madame representative, we'll see you there, whenever you're done!"

"Wait, why are you leaving us?" Yuri asked and the departing duo paused.

"... _You_ want to visit Suzuka?" Haruka clarified.

"Yes."

The annoyance was practically tangible as it rolled off of Mika. "Since when have you become so friendly with Sakuraba?" she bit out.

"I… Uh." He hadn't thought it that far out. Hisako bravely resisted the urge to facepalm. She was very glad he and Suzuka had warmed up to each other in Irkalla, but they couldn't very well trot that out as a reason for their budding friendship.

"Lose interest in the transfer already?" Mika sniffed and brushed past him. She took Hisako's other arm, looping it in hers, and more or less dragged the other two after them. Hisako looked back, glad to see he was still following them, but they were in for an awkward hospital visit.

"At least she gets a guy to visit her in her time of need," Haruka said, pretending to wipe away a tear. "Even if it is just Kikuchi."

"Who would you have picked, then?" he called, content to keep his distance.

"Quick, Hisako-chan, help me put my hair up. Maybe I can pass for a guy."

"Our class isn't _that_ bad for boys to pick from," Mika said and she might have cracked a grin at Haruka waving her pigtails in Hisako's face.

"Ohh? Does our madame representative have her eye on someone?"

"I thought Sakuraba did."

"Yeah, last year. Wait, that's not the point. The point is that no one's good enough for my Suzuka! _I_ shall be the one to comfort her in her time of need" Haruka declared.

They stopped at a store on the way, getting Haruka a hat to hide her long hair with, and somehow she even badgered Yuri into letting her wear his uniform jacket. Watching as she burst dramatically into Suzuka's room and the redhead collapsed into peals of laughter made Hisako feel a _little_ better about how well her friendships were going. Maybe friendship was just supposed to be weird.

Suzuka said she was feeling better, and would be released that night, since the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Hisako and Yuri exchanged a quick glance; that confirmed that it would only be dehydration afterward each time. And a one-time deal. Mika brought her her homework, Haruka tried to steal the English worksheet so she could do it for her, and Suzuka kept calling Hisako "my hero", to the girls' confusion.

Seeing her bounce back so quickly was great. Hisako felt much better about her day, even if Suzuka may have laughed at her missing socks, and the redhead insisted that their study slumber party was still on for that weekend. "I feel fine! I'm getting discharged tonight, so I'll be back at school tomorrow, and I am absolutely, one hundred percent a-okay!"

"If you say so…" Mika agreed reluctantly.

"I'll valiantly nurse you back to health if you aren't!" Haruka declared and that was that.

They were asked to leave a little early due to the noise they were making, so they sheepishly slunk out, Mika apologizing all the while. Hisako made an excuse about running errands to bow out quickly after that. She didn't dare meet Yuri's eyes, afraid of what Mika would do to him if they started giving each other significant looks, and quickly darted around a corner to leave them be.

The hospital's architecture was fairly modern, and it had plenty of glass on the ground floor. It may have been a little suspicious, wandering around the perimeter until she found a window near the edge of the next building, but hopefully this would be quick. Hisako stared into her reflection and held out the Velvet Key.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, come on…! You said I could see the door if I wanted to!" she hissed, shaking the key. The chain jingled and that was about all it did. Hisako took a breath, closed her eyes, and whispered, "I really, _really_ want to see the Velvet Room right now."

"You don't have to ask, dear Hisa-chan," came Octavia's voice. Hisako couldn't help but smile as she reopened her eyes. Sure enough, the door had finally appeared in her reflection, and, turning around, she found it on the wall behind her. It was already open, both twins peering out curiously.

"How do I do it, then?"

"Haven't you ever wished for something before?" Atticus replied.

Hisako sighed as she walked over. She would have to get used to their more roundabout method of speaking, but at least they were helpful. And instead of beckoning her in like they normally did, the two simply walked out of the Velvet Room. She froze, processing the view of Atticus poking at a bush and Octavia admiring the brickwork on the wall the door had appeared on.

"Wh-What are you two doing?!"

"You wanted to speak with us, didn't you?" Octavia asked with alarm. "Oh no, we've overstepped our bounds again—!"

"We have to read more on interpreting human languages—!" Atticus said with matching panic.

With no one in contact with the door any longer, it vanished behind them. "The d-door…"

"Atticus, all of the human definitions of the word 'door'!"

"It usually refers to a moveable but solid—"

Hisako marched forward and grabbed each twin by the upper arm, dragging them out into the street so they wouldn't get caught in a hospital alley. Even if it had been a nice one. Mercifully, her classmates had already departed. "We are finding another reflection and you two are going to take me back into the Velvet Room."

"But it's so vibrant out here," Atticus said with a pout. He was actually _pouting_. For all their quirks, they seemed to have human expression down well enough.

"We thought you wanted to have a discussion," Octavia said. "We agreed to explain more about what we knew and what we don't after you had slept, didn't we?"

"And we wanted that, too, but we also wanted to ask you a couple things, too, dear Hisa-chan." He recovered quickly and, without any form of communication she could see, in unison, they easily slipped out of her grasp and instead looped their arms with hers. It reminded her weirdly of Mika and Haruka.

"What do you want to ask me? And why couldn't we do it in the Velvet Room?" she nearly whined.

"We don't get to get out much," he answered.

"Besides, our first question pertained to how humans consume nourishment. What sort do you prefer?"

"...Are you asking me what my favorite food is?" Hisako asked. They nodded, beaming. She looked around for anything convenient, and spotted a stand near the corner. "I like crepes. Look, we can get some there, and we can take them back to the Velvet Room."

Octavia disappeared from her arm and she wasn't entirely sure how. The woman was suddenly at the crepe stand, asking, "I would like three units of this type of food, serving human."

"She's doing it wrong," Atticus remarked. Hisako wanted to sink into the ground. "She didn't even ask us what we'd like."

"You're _both_ doing it weird," she mumbled, content to keep her space from Octavia as she tried to haggle with the poor crepe man what sort of chocolate should be used.

"...Are we making you uncomfortable?" Atticus asked with a clear look of dawning realization. Against her better judgment, she nodded, and he led her to a nearby bench, gently making her sit down. "Oh no, I hadn't been aware. I'm so sorry, dear Hisa-chan."

"I get that you're learning, but…" But what? Octavia honestly wasn't much more embarrassing than Haruka could be (let alone how mortifying her father could be sometimes), and aside from being prone to talking over her, she could see they were trying. Sort of.

"We can recalibrate our behavior any way you like," Atticus said, actually kneeling in front of her. He took one of her hands in his, and she could hear passersby cooing at how cute the proposal looked.

"You're not going to give me a friendship ring next, are you?" she deadpanned.

"A ring? Should I?"

"Please don't. I'm sorry, while you are being sort of weird, I shouldn't ask you to change yourself. Or your sister." Especially because she had a feeling they meant changing themselves a little more literally than others. She glanced up to keep an eye on said sister, who seemed to be asking for more hot sauce. "Please just stop interrupting me and not listening when I try to speak, and I'll help you act more human if you want to, uh, visit."

He nodded earnestly. "Anything we can do to help you, dear Hisa-chan."

"That's a good place to start," she said and smiled. "I don't mind it, but that is a very casual manner of addressing me. I wish you would have asked before deciding to use it."

Octavia came back, three crepes of varying levels of horror held proudly out before her. Atticus finally stood up and investigated them with blatant jealousy. "Happy birthday, dear Hisa-chan!"

"...What? How did you know it was my birthday?"

"We know many factual things about you, and just as many things pertaining to your Persona abilities. But we don't know much about you as a person. So, what would be your taste preference? This one is sweet, this one is spicy, and this one is sour. Those are common human taste preferences, aren't they?"

"...Sweet?" she guessed faintly. It had the least possibility of landing her in the hospital next to Suzuka. Octavia handed her the one on the left. Hisako eyed it with distrust. There was chocolate drizzled over all of it, but thanks to that, she couldn't quite tell what was on the inside. She took the tiniest bite possible, tasting only crepe and darker chocolate than she was used to, but it didn't taste _bad_. Another bite revealed a bit of a strawberry, and another added peanut butter to the mix, and it had yet to taste terrible.

Then she bit into the onion.

She chewed and swallowed with great difficulty. There was something crunchy beneath the onion. She wanted to be polite, but she wasn't sure she could ever taste that concoction again, nor could she think of a way to stealthily pick out bits of onions. Short of some outside influence, all she could think of to do was to stare with watery eyes at the crepe in her hand. They stared at her with embarrassing amounts of attention, so she really couldn't toss it and hope they didn't notice.

"...About this crepe," she began, awkwardly fidgeting with it.

"I am almost certain that all of the ingredients are safe for human consumption," Octavia replied.

She was definitely not going to finish it after that. "Just because people can eat things doesn't mean they always _want_ to. Sometimes, they don't feel like it, and sometimes, things taste funny together. And onions aren't sweet."

"I was assured it was a sweet red onion."

"I'm worried about your sense of taste."

"My sense of taste is very acute. My dear Hisa-chan, is it possible yours is not as sharp?" she asked, eyebrows knitting together with concern.

"Humans can be rather flawed at times," Atticus added and gently but firmly grabbed Hisako's jaw, smushing her cheeks. "Open your mouth, if you'd please."

"I don't—"

"Brother, do release her. We can't interfere with her physiology, remember?" Octavia said with a sigh. She rescued Hisako by yanking him away.

"You two are weird," she mumbled, rubbing her cheek. "My sense of taste is fine, anyway, it's just that people are more… delicate."

They looked at each other. "Delicate," Atticus repeated.

"That would be a good word for it," Octavia said.

Hisako handed her the crepe and couldn't help the relief when she took it. It didn't help her impression of them when she ate it in one bite, however. With a smile, Octavia leaned over and brushed her thumb across Hisako's lips, coming away with a bit of chocolate, and put that to her mouth as well. Hisako was fairly certain she was as red as a tomato at that. "D-Don't do that!"

"Would you rather have our discussion with chocolate all over your mouth?" she replied innocently. Atticus looked between them, pouting again.

"I-I would appreciate some warning so I may clean my own face," she told her with all the dignity she could muster.

"The crepe tasted wonderful," Octavia said. She may have sounded a touch hurt.

But before she could offer any consolation, Atticus leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. It was a relatively chaste kiss, and he quickly drew back, licking his lips. "I didn't get to taste any of it," he said with a continued pout.

"I didn't know human skin could turn much redder," Octavia hummed, leaning in close to inspect Hisako.

She barely blinked at the traitorous flash of light signaling another rank up with the twins.

-.-.-

Thursday, May 8th, 2014

…

Suzuka wavered between not wanting to leave Haruka's side and never looking at her again. The hospital visit the day before hadn't been so bad, because it had been funny and lively and she hadn't had time to think. Class, however, gave her plenty of thinking time. She usually couldn't pay attention for long stretches on a good day, but when something was preying on her mind? At least the teachers seemed sympathetic to her.

She tried to flee from her at lunch, but Hisako blocked her way just long enough for Haruka to catch her. She couldn't very well ditch her best friend if they were already sitting together.

 _Some best friend I am_ , Suzuka thought miserably. She thought she saw Hisako trying to catch her eye, but she couldn't even bring herself to do that.

It wasn't as if she hated or disliked Haruka, she reasoned. She was certain she didn't. But all she could remember from Tuesday was a haze of escalating anger and her blurry memories told her it had been centered around her friend and her brother. It was gone afterward, she told herself.

But then Haruka said something in flawless English and she felt her stomach flop over. Suzuka buried her head in her arms with a groan.

Afternoon classes just gave her more time to dwell and fight the directionless guilt that had reared its ugly head. The only good thing was that they didn't have practice after school. The sole thing she could distinctly remember from her trip was the feel of someone's arm cracking under her swing. She wasn't sure how she'd face baseball practice after that.

Haruka offered to walk home with her, but Suzuka waved her off with a no doubt unconvincing smile. "I have to pick up something for my grandpa anyway, so I'll just be off. See you tomorrow!" She hurried off before she could see how sad her expression was.

She met Hisako outside of the art room. They'd agreed to have a sort of debriefing, but apparently Yuri hadn't asked to duck out of his club meeting, judging on the discussion that could be heard inside. "How are you feeling?" Hisako asked loudly and the voices from inside cut off at once.

Yuri stepped out, shutting the door behind him, and nodded in greeting to Suzuka. "Oh, I'm feeling, uh, better? I guess. I never thought I'd see Yuri Kikuchi skip an art practice," she said with a grin.

"I skip sometimes," he replied defensively.

"Is it alright if you do today?" Hisako asked and it was interesting to see how he relaxed. Suzuka looked between them, hardly processing his annoyed speech at how the club president had been giving him crap over meeting girls instead of practicing or something. Interesting indeed.

She followed them to the roof, since it would be deserted at that time of day, and they sat down on one of the benches near a flower garden. Yuri immediately began inspecting the flowers, and Hisako fixed Suzuka with a pointed look.

But before she could get into whatever she was going to get into, she blurted out, "Whose arm did I break?"

Both of them stared at her. "What?" Yuri asked after a beat.

"Most of it's a blur to me, but there's these little snippets—I could _feel_ someone's arm crack. Or break. But neither of you have broken arms. I can't forget that feeling. Please, just tell me," Suzuka all but begged.

Hisako looked slightly ill and Yuri still gaped at her. "Suzuka-chan, you were possessed by a, um, an ancient god? I think? You weren't yourself."

"I was enough of myself to remember some stuff. Just tell me. Was it you?"

Hisako turned away with a guilty expression. "...No."

"You're a terrible liar," Suzuka said. Her arm looked fine now, but most of the relief she felt came from knowing who to apologize to.

Before she could, Yuri said, "Fujihara nearly broke my jaw in Irkalla after some sunflowers did… something. And I'm sure I did some stuff when I was possessed."

"I did _what_?!" Hisako asked shrilly and instantly covered her mouth at how loud she'd been.

"I thought you realized that!" he replied, just as surprised. "Wasn't that why you were acting so cowed afterward?"

Suzuka watched as Hisako forced him to tilt his head back, carefully looking over his chin and cheek, and couldn't help but snort back a laugh. "So we beat each other up and then gain superpowers?" she asked and the two turned to her.

"Something like that," he agreed.

"But you don't have to apologize for what you did while you were, um, influenced by outside forces."

"Is that what we're calling it now?"

"Possessed still seems so harsh. And I wasn't when the sunflowers… I'm really, really sorry—"

"As we were saying," Yuri said as he put a hand over Hisako's mouth, "we understand doing stupid stuff down there. And that's not why we wanted to talk to you today."

"I figured, I just… I guess I wanted to apologize, too," Suzuka said sheepishly. She ran a hand through her curly hair. "I'm sorry. I was just so upset with my brother that I guess I did some especially stupid stuff, and I'm really glad you two came for me. Thank you." She even gave them a brief bow.

Yuri looked like he bit into a lemon and Hisako finally fought her way out of his grasp, albeit red-cheeked. "It's alright, Suzuka-chan. Really. We're just glad to have you safe again."

"At least someone is," she said before she could think. At the concerned expression that immediately drew out of the blonde, she backtracked, "N-Not that I'm hung up on that! I'm was really happy yesterday when you all visited me in the hospital! Oh god, I'm just shoving my foot into my mouth at this point, aren't I?"

"A little," Yuri admitted. "But we're used to that."

"Let's just change the subject. You two. Superpowers."

"Personas," Hisako corrected.

"And now I have one?"

"It looks that way. We've mostly been using them to explore Irkalla and figure out what's going on, and since you were kidnapped, too, we may have to continue using them to rescue people until we stop Neh—Ngesh—the person responsible."

Suzuka couldn't help a grin. "Excuse me?"

"...Are you free next Tuesday?" Hisako asked with clear embarrassment. At her nod, she explained, "Every Tuesday, we've been trying to go down into Irkalla to explore, and get more answers from Nergal and Ereshkigal. She hasn't returned yet, but Nergal has been very helpful, and he can… explain what's going on."

"And pronounce everything," Yuri chimed in.

"Oh, shush. It's not like you can," she shot back. "We don't want to make it seem like we're forcing you to come with us, though! We'll just save some of the explanations for later if you would like. It won't make you sick again, either, promise!"

"Why wouldn't I want to go with you?" Suzuka asked.

They stayed silent, and that was all the answer she needed. What _had_ she said down there?

"Oh."

"...We don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do," Hisako said gently. "You don't have to decide right away, either. You could wait until—"

"Like hell I won't! I have this giant _thing_ inside of me, you're telling me it can kick ass, and you expect me to sit back and let you two be heroes without me?"

Their stunned expressions told her that they very much expected that.

Suzuka leapt to her feet, pacing in front of them, unable to help her excitement. "I don't know what exactly I flipped out about down there, except that I feel really super guilty around Haruka now, but why wouldn't I want to join you? I want to get back at that lady who tried to trick me down there!"

"Wait—you _remember_ her?" Yuri asked suddenly.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't remember much about what she did in Irkalla, but I totally remember her before that."

"You remember when she talked to you?!" Hisako all but squealed. "Suzuka-chan, tell us! Please!"

"You don't remember this?"

"It, uh, never happened to me," she said and Yuri shook his head.

Suzuka sat back down beside her. "Huh. Why is that?"

"Please just tell us what you remember first," he reminded.

"Well… My brother announced that he'd gotten engaged, right? Which was a huge surprise to me and my grandparents, and then he said he wanted a western wedding, which had them into a tizzy. And I was excited for that, right? I mean—I love my brother, and his girlfriend is so nice!"

"We believe you," Hisako said with a smile, and Suzuka hoped she believed her in turn.

"Anyway, he said I would be maid of honor. He just _said_ it, didn't even ask me, and my grandma was so excited about it, I couldn't say no at that point. I was just expected to be because I was his sister, and because Amaya-san didn't have a sister and _her_ brother was going to be the guy one, I can't remember the title, and I was just so _mad_ that I couldn't even be excited for him anymore. I went out for a walk, and I must have run into her, because next thing I remember, this lady is talking to me about it being unfair. And I sort of, well, agreed with her. I wasn't thinking clearly! She told me there was a place I could get away from it, that I wouldn't have to be, and she just kept talking so _weird_ …"

"— _you'll make the rules. You wouldn't have to endure any grievances you didn't ask for, you would only have to rule under your own power. Your power would supersede theirs, and you could…_ "

Suzuka gave a start at Hisako's hesitant touch on her arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just… It's hard to remember exact stuff. I can't even remember what she looked like." She shrugged, hoping to come off as nonchalant. She wasn't sure what her vague recollections would do to help, since they already had a name and some sort of motive, by the sound of it. And the memories themselves slipped through her fingers like water, just to come back up and splash her in the face without warning later.

Yuri looked like how she felt: faintly thoughtful and really confused. "So she's tempting people with some sort of offer when they're upset. Me, and then Sakuraba."

"Yeah, why didn't you get tempted? And why us? We don't really have much in common. I mean, before you came along, we didn't really even hang out."

"...What if she's targeting friends?" Hisako asked darkly.

"We didn't really know each other before you rescued me," Yuri replied. "What if it's the people you're forming those social links with?"

"I didn't have yours until afterward. Let's bring it up with Nergal next Tuesday. Suzuka-chan, are you _sure_ you want to join us?"

"Of course I do!"

"You don't have to feel obligated—"

"I _do_ want to. Sweet sunshine, just let me. Besides, I _do_ remember what you two looked like after we got out of there. You guys were a mess, so you totally need me."

"...Then welcome to the team," Yuri said, relenting first. Suzuka grinned, pleased with herself. Now if only she could deal with Haruka and her brother so easily.

-.-.-

Saturday, May 10th, 2014

…

"Sorry for intruding," Hisako and Mika chorused as they toed off their shoes at the door.

Haruka, on the other hand, ambled in like she owned the place. "Where are your grandparents?"

"They're visiting my brother for the next couple days. Wedding stuff and a little vacation, I guess, since we didn't go anywhere for Golden Week."

"They _do_ know we're here, right?" Mika asked, frozen in the entryway.

"Of course! We had this planned way beforehand. They expect me not to trash the place, clean up a bit while they're gone, and I get the run of the house to myself! Pretty sweet deal, huh?"

It had been easy to convince them she was okay after her brief hospital stay. She told them she'd be fine for a couple of days and that was it. ...Maybe it had been a little too easy, if she was being honest with herself. Suzuka pushed past the thoughts and gave the two newcomers a brief tour of the house, and then they all piled into her room to discuss dinner plans.

"Raise your hand if you want pizza!" Haruka said and she and Hisako (shyly) raised their hands. "Come on, madame representative, can't deign to eat common food?"

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" Mika asked with a roll of her eyes.

"When you stop acting like the class rep and start acting like a girl who's going to eat her weight in junk food tonight. Also, when you stop bringing books out of your bag."

"This is supposed to be a study party. Midterms are next week."

"First, food!" Suzuka piped up, pushing the textbooks underneath her bed. "And then, Haruka and Hisako-chan have to regale us with tales of their Golden Week ventures, remember?"

"And when will the studying get done?" Hisako asked nervously.

"Ehh," Suzuka and Haruka said together with matching shrugs.

Then, of course, they had to figure out what sort of pizza. Four teenaged girls led to four unwavering opinions. It eventually boiled down to agreeing to get two different ones, and a rock-paper-scissors tournament to decide which. Suzuka threw her match against Hisako, which was actually incredibly difficult, considering how luck-based it was. It could count as a bit of an apology. She felt proud that she managed it.

She felt that way until they ended up with two pizzas that made her want to cry: Haruka insisted on a cheeseburger pizza, despite their collective wince at the online menu's description of it, and Hisako wanted such a pile of vegetables—though she was adamant on no red onions, weirdly enough, considering she seemed to want every other vegetable known to humankind—Suzuka finally asked if she just wanted a salad. "Someone's got to balance out the pile of meat and cheese Haruka-chan just ordered," was her defense.

Haruka didn't bother defending her choice.

"It's still light out, so let's just go pick it up ourselves!" she exclaimed.

"Preemptively working off what you're about to subject us to?" Mika asked but she followed Haruka back out the door anyway. "How far is this?"

"It's about four blocks away," Hisako replied.

"...How do _you_ know that?" Suzuka asked as she and Haruka stopped, stunned, by the door.

"Oh, I live two blocks over that way. I've already eaten at that pizza place more times than I probably should have."

"Wait, you live nearby?!" Haruka all but screeched. "I do too! Well, sort of, but it's totally walking distance. Why don't we see you at the bus stop in the mornings?"

"That's in the opposite direction as you," Suzuka replied.

"Oh." Haruka turned expectantly to Mika.

"I'm not anywhere near here. I live across town," she said flatly.

"Three out of four isn't bad."

"It's not my fault I don't live in this area," Mika said reproachfully.

Haruka replied with something too-fast in English. Suzuka fought a grimace. Midterms were next week, and she already associated the language with her best friend, so that particular test was going to turn into even more of a trainwreck than normal if she didn't figure out how to handle her sudden weird feelings.

They retrieved their pizza, Hisako pointing down the street to the apartment complex she lived in as they passed, and settled back into Suzuka's room with pizzas of polar opposite toppings. Haruka pointedly dug into hers, and Hisako tried a small bite at her insistence. Suzuka couldn't help but laugh when the blonde ended up eating more of the cheeseburger pizza than her salad one, as it had been dubbed. Mika ended up picking off vegetables she liked and adding it to the other, and Suzuka was fine with either. Even if they were weird-looking as hell.

"You have a dog?" Mika asked suddenly, pointing up at a photograph on Suzuka's dresser.

As the other three looked, she quickly stole more mushrooms. Suzuka caught her but didn't rat her out, instead saying, "Well, sort of. She was Hiroya's, and he took her when he moved."

"What kind of dog was she?"

"Some sort of mutt, all I know is she slobbered a lot and was really heavy when she wanted to be a lap dog."

"What was her name?" Mika asked and Haruka snickered. Suzuka scowled at her.

"Uh, Dango."

"... _Dango_?" Mika repeated.

"You know how little kids are, they fling food everywhere. And I was a really messy kid. But when we got Dango, she was so sweet, and she only sat down and pointed at food I'd drop. Unless it was dango, then she'd wolf it down, so then my brother started feeding her more, and then the name sort of happened. She got really fat for awhile that way," Suzuka recounted, a little embarrassed. She didn't even remember most of that; that was just what her brother told her after the fact. Her stomach didn't appreciate thinking too much about her brother, either, unless that was just the pizza.

"She sounds really sweet. Do you have any other pictures of her?"

"Do you happen to like dogs, Mika-chan?" Hisako piped up as Suzuka tried to remember where pictures in the house were.

"Oh, yes. I've wanted one since I was very little, and I'm jealous that you had a family dog from such a young age," she replied frankly.

"Dango was pretty nice, except she _really_ did get drool everywhere," Haruka chimed in.

"I don't mind dog drool."

"You seem like the type of person who would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mika asked stiffly.

As Haruka scrambled to backpedal, Suzuka tugged Mika to her feet. "There are more pictures out in the hallway, I think. So, you're a dog person?"

"Yes," she said so seriously that she could barely fight a grin. Mika studied the various photos lining the hallway for dogs, and Suzuka made a mental image to ask Hiroya for some pictures of Dango. If nothing else, they could distract Mika with it when she got prickly with Yuri.

Hisako seemed to be on the same wavelength as she sidled up to Suzuka to watch Mika stare at pictures of an overweight dog. "Know anyone with any dogs?"

"No one. Can your brother get you more pictures?"

"Already on it."

"What are we whispering about?" Haruka asked, leaning down between them, making Hisako jump. "Does it have to do with the baby pictures Suzuka forgot to hide?"

"I did—oh crud muffins!" She darted past Mika, out into the living room, grabbing the few embarrassing ones she cared about others seeing. Haruka was one thing, but Mika and Hisako didn't need to see them. As she stashed them in a drawer, she realized that maybe, that was a good thing. She was still okay with Haruka knowing embarrassing things, and the other girl _had_ reminded her to hide them, if a little late. Haruka helped her out, too. It was a small thing, but Suzuka was grateful for it all the same.

It was only the promise of Haruka's pictures from her Golden Week trip that lured them all back into the bedroom. And, sure enough, she narrated it in English. Suzuka barely caught any of it, but some part of her was gratified to hear how easily Haruka spoke. She only stumbled a few times.

Hisako simply stared at her pictures blankly, but Mika nodded along. "Um, are you understanding this?" Hisako whispered.

"Not really," Mika replied, just as quietly.

"Back to Japanese!" Suzuka announced and Haruka switched back mid-sentence. It was far more entertaining when she actually told them what was going on in the pictures, and probably more helpful when she used English words and phrases for practice. Haruka refused to give them their souvenirs until they could tell her what the word for it in English was, which had them all stumped since she also wouldn't tell them what the souvenirs _were_.

Mika got lucky with 'duck', and she received a duckling keychain for her win. Suzuka stumbled onto her word soon after—'bracelet', which earned her a pretty gold charm bracelet. Haruka happily showed off a match hanging on her wrist. It took some time for Hisako to guess hers, but thanks to Mika teaming up with her, they succeeded and she got a sheep keychain.

"Three out of four again?" Haruka said, holding up her wrist. The charms swung against each other. Suzuka waved her arm too, whereas the other two just looked at each other. "You're always wearing that bracelet, Hisako-chan. It's pretty. Where'd you get it?"

Hisako held up her arm like she was surprised to see a gold chain with three little rectangular charms hanging from it. "Oh, um, it was a gift. I'm not sure where they got it."

Suzuka gently caught her hand and looked at the bracelet. It was bright yellow, and as far as she could tell, the charms were just blank slates. "Is this real gold?" she asked without thinking. Then, more curiously, all she could see was one whole piece of chain. It wasn't large enough to be slipped over her hand. "How do you take this off?"

"Later," Hisako hissed at her, hiding her arm and the bracelet with her other arm. Suzuka only gave her a confused look. Mika, on her other side, leaned over and tried to look, too, but Hisako distracted them all by digging out the pictures of her trip to show them. "I'm not even going to _try_ doing mine in English," Hisako reminded, to their distracted delight. Haruka faked a pout on the bed.

She dug around in her bag and eventually produced her gifts: a small deer doll for Suzuka, hair pins for Haruka, and a small purse for Mika, and then a box of yatsuhashi they munched on while she gave a much shorter recollection of her trip.

And then the inevitable happened. "Why did you get something for Yuri?" Mika asked with a forced casual air.

Suzuka and Haruka had both been waiting for it. "Oh, did she?" Haruka asked with equally obvious fake surprise. "I hadn't even noticed."

"Yeah, I tend not to watch him like a hawk in class," Suzuka agreed. Mika's expression soured.

"You're not funny. And I do _not_."

"You're not fooling anyone. Why don't you ask Hisako-chan what you really want to know?" the redhead asked lightly and on Mika's other side, Haruka crossed her arms.

"Fine then," she said, "Fujihara, what is going on between you and he?"

All three girls stared at her in a stunned silence. Hisako looked surprised at getting singled out, but Suzuka was surprised that Mika actually _had_ gone straight to the point. Usually she was a little more roundabout when talking about herself.

"...We're just friends," Hisako said at last.

"Why do you want to know?" Haruka asked, rebounding first.

"I don't want her to get hurt," Mika replied.

"Yuri-kun would never hurt me," Hisako said with a rather unsubtle glance at Suzuka. She didn't know why she was looking at her; she was hardly going to jump into the middle of _that_. Yuri seemed to be an okay guy, and she was fine kicking supernatural butt with him, but Mika was ten times as scary as anything she remembered in Irkalla.

"I don't mean to sound patronizing, but I've known him for a long time."

"He did mention you two had been _very_ good friends for a few years." Hisako tried to sound brave, but she was beginning to quail.

"He's allowed to have friends," Haruka added. At least she was still helping defend Hisako, and she didn't know anything about Yuri's actual friendship with her.

"I know that. But he has this habit of—well, of hurting people, not to mention how he treats girls—"

"He's been treating me fine, really—"

"I'm worried about when he _won't_ —"

"Hisako-chan is allowed to make her own decisions, she's a big girl—"

"I'm not saying she isn't! But I don't want to see this end badly!"

"Are you saying that because you're jealous, or because you genuinely care about her feelings?" Haruka finally asked.

And without missing a beat, a red-faced Mika ground out, "Both."

"...Y-You're jealous? Of _what_?" Hisako squeaked, losing whatever bravado she'd been forcing.

"I'm invoking the sleepover rules here—no one's allowed to repeat anything about this ever again," Mika demanded.

"Is that how sleepovers work?" Hisako whispered.

"I guess so," Haruka replied. "Our lips are sealed, madame rep. Go ahead."

Mika sighed heavily. Suzuka was just amazed that the situation had defused itself so easily. She wasn't even sure what she could have done; all she knew of Yuri were school rumors and that his and Hisako's friendship was based mostly in the supernatural. But Haruka knew less than she, and she still tried to help. Suzuka suddenly felt a little worse about the conversation.

"I'm jealous of the fact that you two have somehow become friends and neither of you will talk to me about it. I know that we're not that good of friends ourselves yet, Fujihara, but I just… Would you at least do me the favor of telling me if you were to go out with him?" Mika asked as she hid her face in her hands.

"I don't think there's a very large chance of that. Yuri-kun and I are just friends, that's all…"

"Then why does he always dodge any questions I have? And why is he suddenly so friendly with Sakuraba?"

"Maybe because you're acting like a nosy girlfriend?" Haruka suggested and Mika glared at her through her fingers.

"Um, no, I'm sure it's just because…" Hisako faltered.

"That's because…" Suzuka, likewise, wasn't sure quite what to say. This was going to become a bigger problem if they didn't come up with a fast solution, and Yuri clearly wasn't going to help anything if he was dodging Mika's curiosity so horrendously. In fact, _he_ should be the one there to tell her all of that, not poor Hisako, and definitely not Suzuka. She hardly knew him as anything but a classmate and someone who had a magic paint brush.

"...I'm still in camp-Kuroki-is-too-nosy-for-being-platonic, but that was suspicious as hell, you two," Haruka said, turning on them with an arched brow. "Is there some sort of big secret thing going on?"

"Uh, yeah, kinda," Suzuka replied without thinking. Both of Haruka's brows shot up in surprise and Mika dropped her hands, staring at her incredulously. Hisako looked ready to leave the situation entirely.

Haruka was her best friend (even if she needed reminding) and Mika would calm down once she had an explanation for Yuri's sudden boost in female friends. Neither he nor Hisako had mentioned anything about keeping it a secret from anyone but the doctors, and they had ruled out friends being targeted. What was the actual harm in telling them?

"People have been getting kidnapped by a rogue goddess and they've been rescuing them and I joined them. There's powers and stuff involved but I'm not entirely too sure about the details myself yet," Suzuka admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

The other three continued staring at her in shock and Hisako had visibly paled.

"Wait like… Are you telling me you're magical girls or something?" Haruka asked with an uncertain smile.

"Well, Yuri's doing it with us, too, so that's why he's been spending so much time with us—"

" _Yuri's_ a magical girl?" Mika asked weakly.

"No! Well, sort of. He's not running around in a skirt, at least I don't think so. I don't remember a whole lot of it." Suzuka looked to Hisako for help, but the blonde was looking at anywhere but her, twirling her bracelet around and around nervously. That set off a light bulb in Suzuka's mind. "Wait, that's something from down there, isn't it?"

"No!" Hisako said at once, not fooling anyone. She guiltily sat on her hands to hide the gold chain.

"This is seriously getting suspicious. Are you actually _serious_ about this?" Haruka asked, looking between them. Mika still had pink cheeks, and Suzuka could only hope she wasn't trying to picture Yuri as a magical girl. While he was tall and had the legs for it, he really wouldn't be cut out for a form-fitting outfit.

"Now _I'm_ imagining it," she groaned, pressing her palms against her eyes. The image stubbornly stayed, growing bows and high heels. "Okay, so there are no magical girls! Forget I said anything. Let's just paint our nails or something now."

"Y-Yes, let's do that!" Hisako agreed enthusiastically.

"This is a pretty dumb joke. What's going on between you two? And Kikuchi, since he's apparently involved in _whatever_ is going on here."

Hisako held up a bottle of purple nail polish as a last defense. Haruka reached over and pried it out of her hands, handing it to a still-silent Mika.

"...It's true," she finally said, looking at Mika instead of Haruka.

"You're serious."

"I wish I wasn't. It was _supposed_ to be a secret."

"I never got that memo," Suzuka pointed out.

"I thought it was obvious!"

"Is there any actual harm in letting them know? Now Mika-chan won't have a meltdown and Haruka… She's my best friend," she said.

"Well, we sort of sound crazy right now—"

"Getting worse by the minute," Haruka chimed in unhelpfully.

"—and there's no way we can prove it!" Hisako grumbled. Suzuka opened her mouth, but she quickly added, "We're not taking them into Irkalla. It's dangerous. Even for us, and we have the gods thinking _we're_ gods. They're just, well, human."

"I guess it'd ruin the slumber party if they ended up in the hospital," Suzuka agreed, rubbing her chin. "Any other way we can prove there's weird stuff going on?"

Hisako paled again at that. Haruka leaned over into her field of view, eyes narrowed. "Do you have any proof for us skeptics? Because I'd be totally down if you two _were_ magical girls, but it's sort of, you know, kind of impossible. But I'm very curious in where this is going. So please, do continue."

"...How dangerous is it?" Mika asked, rejoining the conversation at last.

"It's put us all in the hospital at least once," Suzuka replied with a shrug. "I can't really remember a lot of it, but arms were broken. And a jaw. And blood is involved."

"We can heal ourselves to some degree," Hisako said quickly as the other two looked at her conspicuously not-broken arm and jaw. "But just going _in_ to Irkalla for the first time can have very nasty side effects, and it's full of monsters."

"It's a place? I thought you two just had powers."

"They only work in the place."

"And you won't take us to see the place." Haruka didn't sound mean, but she was clearly having fun at their expense. Even Suzuka had to admit that this was rapidly turning into a mess.

"I'll take pictures! We're going there on Tuesday," Suzuka exclaimed.

"Our phones die down there. I think most electronics will," Hisako replied.

"So there's no way you can actually prove any of this, aside from a hospital visit and sudden friendships, since you won't let us see the place, you can't do anything outside of the place, and there's no proof you have anywhere else."

"Would Yuri agree with any of this if I were to call him right now?" Mika asked, pulling out her phone from her bag.

"Um… I think so?"

"Why do you have his number if you two are so unfriendly with each other?" Suzuka asked.

Mika frowned but didn't answer, instead calling him and putting the phone on speaker. Hisako and Suzuka held their breaths. It rang and rang, and unfortunately, went to voicemail. "That was anticlimactic. Anything else you can offer us?" Haruka asked as Mika furiously texted Yuri.

"...Do you really want to know?" Hisako asked, surprising Suzuka yet again. She wasn't sure what else they had, unless Yuri called back soon, or the bracelet was magical in some way. "Haruka-chan, do you _actually_ want to know if this is a joke or not?"

"I want to know what Yuri has gotten into," Mika said without looking up.

"I have to admit, I'm sort of fond of the idea right now. But I'm not going to let the matter drop if this is some sort of weird joke. I expect magical girl Halloween costumes this year."

Hisako stood up and rummaged around in her pockets. "I'm going to need a mirror."

She insisted she needed some space and a blank wall, so Mika and Haruka cleared off a wall in the living room while Suzuka pulled a hanging mirror from her grandparents' room. She held it across from the empty wall and Hisako pulled a blue key from her pocket. Even Suzuka had no idea what she was doing, but she hadn't ever seen the key before.

She couldn't help but wonder how many other things Hisako had been inadvertently keeping from her. Tuesday was going to be fun.

"Please work," Hisako whispered, barely audible, but Suzuka heard her all the same. That didn't exactly reassure her. She held the key out to the mirror, and let out a sigh of relief—but nothing happened. Suzuka looked down over the edge of the mirror, but it looked the same, too. "Um, please stay out here while I just check something."

She turned and approached the blank wall, reaching out for it like it held something they couldn't see. The second her hand touched, however, a cobalt blue door sprang to life, swinging open at her touch. Haruka swore and Suzuka dropped the mirror. Mika must have jumped back three feet.

Suzuka set the thankfully unbroken mirror on a chair and approached the door with wide eyes. Something about the color reminded her of Irkalla, but she couldn't place it. "...I believe you two now," Haruka said, eyes on the door.

Hisako popped back out and announced, "I can let you in, but you must promise me _not_ to touch anything. We'll be left alone, so don't worry about anything else."

"Left alone?" Mika echoed.

"They said they're grounded and they're not supposed to talk to me until Igor sorts something out. I'm not entirely sure about the details." Hisako stepped aside, holding the door open for them. All Suzuka could see beyond her was more blue.

"...You're serious. You and Sakuraba and Yuri… This is all real," Mika said in that same hollow tone and stepped, very hesitantly, forward.

"It's real," Hisako confirmed.

Mika stepped into the doorway and that broke the spell. Suzuka grabbed Haruka's hand with a grin and led her in as well. The interior looked exactly like a train car, albeit monochrome, and Haruka sank into the nearest seat. Hisako glanced nervously at the door at the end of the car.

"So," she said.

"So," Suzuka repeated, wishing she could feel smug about any of this.

"Where is this?" Haruka asked.

"The Velvet Room. It normally has some, ah, people in it, but they're not supposed to see guests right now. They've helped me sort out some things about all of this and the master, Igor, is very knowledgeable about Personas. Actually, I suppose they all are."

"And Personas are…?"

"Giant people," Suzuka supplied. Haruka nodded, taking that at face value. Hisako facepalmed.

"Yuri is… doing stuff like this?" Mika asked as she looked around, even if she stayed rooted in a spot within a step of the still-open doorway to Suzuka's living room. "You all are? And—it's _dangerous_?"

"Well… Yes. But our Personas are capable of fighting the things we run into, and as I said, his can fix some injuries. But you two, you don't have Personas, so it would be a really bad idea to show you where we can bring ours out. Right here, we're safe. It's not Irkalla, but it was the only thing I could think of to really prove anything, since I apparently _had_ to," Hisako said and shot a look at Suzuka.

"Well, now Mika-chan has something else to bug Kikuchi about, and Haruka isn't going to tease us for the next two years about this. And hey, this is a nice place. And, well, I really have nothing else to say." She dropped her arms to the side after a shrug. "Are you mad at me?"

" _Was_ this supposed to stay a secret?" Haruka asked sharply, standing up again. She looked over the train car with an uneasy eye.

"I… don't know. We haven't told anyone because it sounds impossible, and… I don't know. I don't know a lot about what's going on."

"...Maybe we don't have these Persona things, but we can still help. If nothing else, we can help cover for you if something goes awry. And I'll stop bothering you all about this," Mika said.

"You weren't bothering us," Hisako tried to lie, but Mika's frown told her that she saw through it. "Just, maybe, please don't worry so much about Yuri-kun hanging out with us?"

"Wait, he doesn't know that they know," Suzuka said suddenly.

Haruka caught onto her idea immediately. "Kikuchi still thinks he has to keep this a secret. And he's going to wonder why Kuroki is suddenly off his scent. So—"

"So we should see how long he can keep this secret?"

"Yeah, definitely. Make him sweat a little for brushing off our poor madame representative so cruelly—and unconvincingly."

"This seems mean. And Yuri-kun can't really keep a secret, not if he has you two pressuring him," Hisako said worriedly.

"Yeah, he really can't. Don't do this to him," Mika agreed. The two shared a relieved look, even if Haruka wilted. "I'll talk to him about this, unless you'd like to?"

"Oh no, you can. Please."

"I'll call him tomorrow about it. Not that he's not a philanderer and a pervert, but I suppose it's glad to know he's not…"

"Running around behind your back?" Haruka suggested.

"Glad to know he's not taking advantage of my friends," Mika replied venomously. "Even if I have a new reason to worry now."

"Hey, we're friends now?" Suzuka asked brightly, surprised by the term, but pleasantly so.

"I'm at your house for a sleepover," she replied, tone flat.

"Actually we're in a blue train, who-knows-where. Is this thing actually going anywhere?" Haruka asked and she leaned over the seats, peering out the windows.

"I don't know. I'm not sure."

"My point remains. If Yuri doesn't keep you two in perfect health with _whatever_ healing magic whatever he apparently possesses, I'm going to have words with him," Mika declared.

Suzuka and Haruka exchanged a look. She was probably just grateful for a subject to discuss with him that (hopefully) wouldn't lead to an argument. But that took a backseat as the room suddenly flashed, making them collectively flinch (Mika and Haruka ducking), and a spinning tarot card floated down from wherever it appeared.

"...That happens, too," Hisako said and pulled the card from the air. "I wish I could have done it earlier as proof instead of this."

" _What_ is that?" Haruka asked as she peeked over the edge of the seat.

"The Tower, apparently," Hisako replied dryly. She pocketed the card and gestured towards the door. "We should probably get out of here before Octavia or Atticus come to investigate that."

"Who are they?" Suzuka asked, and curiously, the blonde girl blushed and refused to answer. She herded them out the door, back into Suzuka's house, and the Velvet Room door disappeared as it shut.

"Weirdest sleepover ever," Haruka declared. Mika nodded, Hisako sighed, and Suzuka figured it was a good thing. She was okay with some more weird in her life if it made her feel better about her friends.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Twins social link has ranked up! The Moon arcana has reached rank 2.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Dog Lover social link of the Tower arcana!


	9. Sharp Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a ruler is spoken to and breasts are discussed.

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

…

"What did you choose for the question about the roots of Easter?"

"Rabbits and eggs were symbols of fertility for the pagan holiday it came from. Isn't that right?"

" _Is_  it? I was wondering why bunnies and eggs were both involved. I didn't think they laid eggs."

"I'm pretty sure they don't."

Ahead of her, Suzuka and Haruka discussed their history midterm (and Hisako had a niggling worry in the back of her mind that she had missed that question, too). Midterms in general proved to be a little more stressful than she'd anticipated, but instead of going home or to the library for more last-minute studying, there they were, traipsing along to a cemetery.

_We should have postponed this until next week_ , she thought, running a hand over her face. She already felt tired. But Suzuka had insisted, and then, of course, they had two new 'teammates' to deal with…

One of which trailed behind her, keeping tabs on Yuri. She could feel his pleading look on the back of her head, but he was on his own. It was really his own fault; if he had been more honest—well, if he had been more tactful, at any rate, then they wouldn't have had to assuage Mika's fears.

And maybe it was something of a good thing that she knew. She was at least speaking to him sort of normally.

_Maybe it's a good thing they won't see our Personas_ , she thought. She didn't want to know what Mika would shout when she saw that Yuri hung out with a half-naked ice-throwing goddess for most of their trips.

"This is it?" Suzuka asked as she and Haruka stopped in front of the tomb that lead to Irkalla.

"Yes. And I'm reminding you both, only Suzuka-chan is coming down with us."

"And I'll wait up here," Haruka replied and almost succeeded in sounding innocent.

"It's dangerous," Hisako warned for the umpteenth time.

"We'll stay out here," Mika said as she and Yuri finally caught up. "You say it won't take long?"

"If it's how we think it works, it won't take any time at all," he said. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You'll see. I think."

"I guess we will," Hisako said and he helped her push the top of the tomb off. The stairs were as dimly lit as ever, but Haruka and Suzuka crowded to look at them all the same. She did have to smack Suzuka's hand to keep her from reaching in; they didn't want to find out how far in one had to be in order to count as stuck there. "Alright, we're just going to make this a quick trip. Talk to Nergal, duck into the first part of the maze to see some monsters, and let Suzuka-chan do some stuff with her Persona. We don't want to exhaust ourselves during midterms."

"And what's a Nergal again?" Haruka asked, hand raised.

Hisako and Yuri looked at each other. The two girls had been exceedingly gracious about what they believed about all of the supernatural goings-on, but it was getting repetitive, having to explain what all of the creatures and deities looked like. "About twice as tall as me, black fur, big blocky wings, head of a lion, bright green eyes. Walks around shirtless and has claws longer than I want to remember," Yuri said with appropriate gestures.

"Is everything shirtless down there? I remember a distinct lack of clothes," Suzuka asked with her arm up in the air, too.

"I remember a lot of things, too, especially about you," he replied evenly. She dropped her arm with a squeak. Hisako nudged him in the side. Just because he was stressed—or whatever Mika made him—didn't mean he had to take it out on Suzuka.

"That's our first rule. We don't tease friends about things in Irkalla."

"I wasn't teasing."

"We're friends?" Suzuka asked, batting her eyes at him. He cringed.

"Next rule,  _no one_  goes into Irkalla alone. Ever. This goes double if you don't have a Persona. I'm the only one who can take people in and out, I think, so this means we're going to be doing this in a group."

"Why is that?" Suzuka asked, arm back in the air.

"Because reasons," Yuri replied.

"Works for me as much as anything else about this," Haruka said and shrugged. She took Suzuka by the shoulders, and then moved up to smush her cheeks. "Now, be a good girl, stay with the group, and don't talk to strange monsters. Don't eat anything weird. And don't approach the strange monsters, either, that's probably not a good idea."

Neither Hisako nor Yuri mentioned the little fact that they had broken every single one of those rules.

Mika fidgeted awkwardly on their other side. Hisako gave him a look, but he shook his head and shuffled closer to the tomb. She supposed that it was too much to ask for them to magically repair their relationship just because of a shared secret. But progress was progress.

"We'll be right back, I suppose," she said and was the first to descend into Irkalla. She stood on the stairs and watched her two teammates follow her in, and then they all stood and stared at the frozen, blurry image of Haruka and Mika standing over the opening.

"...That's really creepy," Suzuka said. The other two nodded in agreement. "So, it'll really be the same time when we come back up?"

"That's how it's worked every time we've visited. I'm not sure how it will look to them, though."

Hisako almost wished she had saved some topics to cover as they walked. Yuri stayed stubbornly, awkwardly quiet, and Suzuka, while nearly vibrating with energy and curiosity, was silent, too. But they had already gone over everything they knew with her, twice in fact, since she had been present when they had explained things to their classmates. Nergal could clarify some things—and pronounce the names properly—but there wasn't much else to talk about.

"Why'd you have to tell Mika?" Yuri finally blurted out. That solved the problem of a conversation topic.

"You were the one expecting us to cover for you," Suzuka replied blithely.

"I was not. Honestly, I hadn't expected she would even bring it up with you, either of you."

"You should still work on your communication skills."

"You're one to talk! What if telling them had put them in some sort of danger?"

"But it didn't?"

"I know, let's talk about Personas!" Hisako broke in loudly. "Suzuka-chan, why don't you summon yours? Tiamat, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. ...How do I do that, again?"

Yuri sighed and grudgingly handed over a semi-sharp painting knife. Suzuka looked it over and ended up accidentally slicing open her finger when trying to press down on it, but at least it resulted in Tiamat appearing. The Persona seemed even larger than Hisako remembered, unwinding as she tried to fit in the passageway, hissing mutely in obvious displeasure.

They broke into the wide open area soon after, thankfully. Tiamat curled up in her stormcloud, feathered tail flicking every so often. The eye sockets in her skull mask were empty, but Hisako could swear she could feel the serpent's gaze. "So, these are supposed to be our super powers manifested, or something?" Suzuka asked, one hand on her hip, the other waving up at the green Persona.

"Or something," Hisako said as she scanned the area for Nergal. Usually he was fairly close to the entrance, but she eventually spotted him close to the opening of the maze, little more than a black blot against the white wall.

"Are these clouds supposed to be solid? Can we touch them? Can we touch our Personas? Let me see you guys'! Let's make this a Persona party!"

Hisako and Yuri summoned theirs without a hitch in their step. It was amazing how casual they had gotten with letting blood, even if she doubted she would ever get used to Enlil mussing her hair every time he appeared. Suzuka, behind them, tried to scramble up Tiamat's claw with little success. Squinting across the space, Hisako could make out another figure next to Nergal, smaller and a little lighter in color.

"Who is that…?" Yuri asked, slowing beside her.

"I don't know, but let's be cautious," Hisako announced, putting out a hand to stop Suzuka and Tiamat. Her arm bumped into the redheaded girl's legs, as she was sitting on Tiamat's claws, but her wrist grazed part of the Persona, too.

The effect was immediate. Hisako leapt back, half her arm numb from what felt like a shock, and Suzuka slid limply off of Tiamat with a  _moan_. It took her a couple moments to sit up again. Panting, arms crossed tightly over her chest, she stared up at Hisako with an increasingly red face.

Yuri opened his mouth and Hisako raised her still-working arm to stop him. "Not a word."

"That was…" Suzuka began, but trailed off. She carefully stood up, keeping a conspicuous distance from them, and wouldn't make eye contact with either of them. "That was something. Does that always happen?"

"It's… never happened before." She couldn't think of ever accidentally touching Enlil, but she had touched Inanna several times without a problem. Just to be sure, she reached over and poked her Persona. Aside from pausing in smoothing down her static-y hair, Inanna didn't seem to care. And Hisako herself definitely didn't feel anything awry.

Yuri yelped as Suzuka dove for Enlil. The cloaked Persona darted out of the way, paint brush held up in bewildered defense. "No! Not me too!" Yuri caught her out of the air as she made another dive. "New team rule! No more touching Personas!"

"Not fair! I don't want to be the only one embarrassed!"

"Trust me, we've been embarrassed plenty," Hisako tried, but that just turned Suzuka's attentions on her. Yuri released her, glad to be in the clear, and Hisako started pushing Inanna towards Nergal and away from Suzuka. "It's a team rule! No more embarrassing each other!"

"It doesn't hurt, promise!"

"I'm not afraid of it hurting!" She wasn't quite sure what had happened, but the last thing she wanted to do was to be making  _those_  sorts of sounds in front of either of them. Inanna seemed to agree with avoiding her touch, too.

They broke into a mad dash, but Suzuka was the athletic one. She literally ran laps around the other two, but mercifully, she could never quite catch either of the other Personas. Enlil skated out of her way with his wind, and Inanna kept her away with not-so-kind prods of her staff. Suzuka eventually relented, although she did mumble, "I'm telling the others."

By then, Nergal and his guest were more visible, and Hisako soon recognized the greys and blues of the goddess identical to Inanna. "Ereshkigal!" she called, waving over to her. She felt a tiny wave of warmth from Inanna as her sister waved back with a bright smile.

"Inanna, my sister dear! I was—" Ereshkigal cut off abruptly as she laid eyes on Suzuka, who was keeping her distance with Yuri. Hisako turned back to them. Her classmates seemed understandably wary, but the strange part was their Personas: Enlil had pulled his masked headdress down so it covered as much of his face as possible, his mouth twisted beneath that, and Tiamat was attempting to hide in her stormcloud, feathered mane pressed low against her head like an angry cat's ears.

"...Ereshkigal, these are my friends," Hisako said cautiously, retreating back towards them. Inanna floated after them, peeking back at her sister every couple of seconds. In unison, Yuri and Suzuka looked back and forth between the two giant women.

"Friends," Nergal repeated, placing a tentative hand on Ereshkigal's shoulder. She leaned into his touch and finally looked away from the short girl and tall boy.

"...Tiamat, I had not expected to see you alive once more. What is it you have appeared here for?" Ereshkigal's eyes flicked over to Hisako. "Sister, I do understand your desire to once again have soldiers at your behest, but I hardly think Enlil or Tiamat are required for this quest.  _I_  will help you find Ngeshtin-ana instead, together we can find out why she has fled."

"Have you found out anything?" Hisako asked hopefully, ignoring everything else in favor of latching onto that. She didn't know the politics behind anything they were talking about and Inanna was far from helpful. She also didn't want to disown her friends, but neither did she want to be rude to Ereshkigal.

"I have done nothing new to earn their avoidance, nor their hate. It must be guilty thoughts that have made them so scarce as of late."

"Naturally, we have some theories as to why they're acting so skittish," Nergal added dryly.

"What sort of theories?" Suzuka piped up. Ereshkigal visibly stiffened at her voice. She circled around Hisako, as if using her for a shield, but the thought of a deity hiding behind  _her_  from an even smaller girl lost its hilarity when she noticed how Inanna was radiating some sort of oppressive, foul feeling she couldn't immediately place.

"We would like to have something more concrete to offer you before saying anything, rather than spouting off things that may be later proven untrue," Nergal said, clearly noticing the way Ereshkigal was watching Suzuka. He didn't look all that comfortable with her presence, either. By the time they had exited Irkalla with her last week, she had been nearly unconscious from exhaustion, and Tiamat hadn't been there.

What had he seen when they were just carrying a human girl?

"Any information you could give us would help," Yuri said.

"...We have only been able to confirm one thing about the pair. They can enter and exit Irkalla without making me aware," Ereshkigal confessed in a tone that told them she was afraid of their reaction. It was apparently a big deal; Inanna bristled and turned on her sister, Tiamat sat bolt upright in her cloud, and Enlil tried tugging Yuri away from them and into his cloak. He hissed something at his Persona that Hisako couldn't hear, but Enlil left him alone, though he hovered closer than ever.

"If they can do it, why can't we?" Yuri asked and even Hisako realized that that might not have been the wisest thing to say. The resulting snap of wind confirmed that.

"I am still the lord here, last I checked. And as lord, I demand respect!" Ereshkigal shouted, her gusts sending her graying, dead hair flying around her face. Hisako scrambled back until she hit Inanna's legs; her Persona refused to back up any further, in spite of the girl's obvious fear. She heard Yuri yelp behind them both.

The winds died as soon as Ereshkigal caught sight of Hisako, more or less cowering at Inanna's feet. She sighed, dropped back to the ground, and held out her hand to her. Inanna not-too-gently pushed Hisako forward.

"The company you keep is almost more than I can bear, but it seems as if I'll be the one forever tangling your hair." Very much against her wishes, Hisako felt Ereshkigal's wrinkled fingers run through her hair, combing out the ends and catching on her braid. She was just about used to her hair in disarray thanks to Enlil. She did  _not_  need to be petted by an undead goddess who had just lost her temper at her friends.

But every time she tried to slip out of her grasp, Inanna would just nudge her back with her boot or staff. She could see Yuri and Suzuka past her, varying levels of terrified. Tiamat had disappeared completely.

"Um," Hisako squeaked, trying to crawl out of Ereshkigal's embrace. She was getting less and less subtle about it, and Inanna was getting less and less nice about putting her back. "Could you please—"

"We will keep watch for either Ngeshtin-ana or Dumuzi in Irkalla. But their movements are erratic, and we cannot leave. You can," Nergal said pointedly.

"Why can we and why can't you?" Suzuka asked and Ereshkigal's grip tightened momentarily on Hisako's hair. She cringed but she let go and smoothed her fingers over that part in apology.

"I am the lord of this land. I must stay in command." Ereshkigal  _finally_  released Hisako and she all but leapt at the relative safety of her classmates. The goddess straightened, smiling in a sad way that Inanna echoed in her mind. "We will do our best to capture either of them, but we still ask for your aid in this endeavor. As it stands, for the time being, that is all we are capable of, however."

"Alright. Thank you," Hisako said quickly, bowing a bit, and grabbed the nearest—Yuri's—hand and marched straight for the entrance to the labyrinth. Ereshkigal had completely undone her hair, so the tips tickled against her neck, but that could take a backseat. She waited until all of them were around a corner and out of sight from the other two, and then promptly sagged against the nearest wall.

"Why was she using wind stuff, too?" Yuri asked at once.

"Why was Tiamat afraid of them? Those guys are helping us, right? Why does the lady look like Inanna? And is the mind meld thing normal? Can she feel me like that?" Suzuka added, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I don't know, they should be, I think they're related, yes, and I hope not," Yuri replied without looking at her. He crouched down next to Hisako. " _That_  was Ereshkigal?"

She nodded, heart still pounding in her ears. "She's never acted so aggressive before…" Even when she had broken up the fight between her and Nergal, she had only seemed impatient. Since they had been so helpful after the fact, she had almost forgotten how hostile they had been initially. Nergal had almost  _killed_  her.

"Yeah, I guess they're not members of the Tiamat fanclub," Suzuka said. "And Tiamat was freaking out from the moment the lady looked at her. Why does she look like a  _dead_  Inanna?"

"And if she's related to Inanna,  _why_  was she using wind magic?" Yuri pressed. He sounded almost protective of it, as if it was his and his alone.

And with that, Hisako realized what that low, continuous feeling from Inanna had been: protectiveness. She had been  _protective_  of Ereshkigal. Against Tiamat. She had stood in between Ereshkigal and Tiamat with the intent of protecting the former.

"Leave," she said faintly. Inanna pressed her mouth into a firm line. "Leave us alone for a bit." The Persona finally disappeared. Hisako gave Yuri a look, and without a word, Enlil vanished as well. "Inanna had a twin sister, and that's Ereshkigal. I think they had some sort of falling out in the past, and Ereshkigal is now the ruler of Irkalla. But I have no idea why your Personas were freaking out over her."

"Enlil is agitated around Nergal, too."

"Well, if they had some sort of fight, maybe they're still mad at each other? Family is supposed to make up faster than anyone else, right?" Suzuka asked, sounding a little too uncertain on that last part.

"Okay, maybe for her, but she seemed to think  _you_  were supposed to be dead," Yuri said, turning with narrowed eyes to look up at her.

"Tiamat, not me."

"They view us as our Personas," Hisako reminded her. Still, Suzuka didn't seem at all bothered, and only shrugged. "They all do. Ereshkigal and Nergal, and Dumuzi and his sister, too, I would bet." She reluctantly got back to her feet, dusting off her skirt, and gave the other two a reassuring smile.

They could use Ereshkigal and Nergal for information, but Hisako knew they couldn't forget they were dangerous, too. The goddess' affections only extended as far as Inanna, and contrary to popular belief, she was  _not_  Inanna. She wasn't sure she could use it as any sort of protection if it came down to it.

And her Persona seemed more keen on being on Ereshkigal's side, too. Against Tiamat, if need be, and potentially Enlil.

They  _really_  had to figure out more about Personas. The faster, the better.

-.-.-

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

…

The caller ID read ' _Mother_ '.

Hisako froze, one hand holding her phone, the other halfway to the elevator button. Her ringtone cheerily continued despite the way her world temporarily fell out of balance.

She had just spoken to her mother the night before, to wish her a belated happy Mother's Day, although the conversation had been brief. She had been speaking to her more frequently, something she took as a good sign but with a grain of salt, and almost always it had been before or after her dad had spoken to her. She wasn't sure her mother had ever called her cell phone before.

The call went to voicemail before she could get past the shock of it. Hisako cursed, but still she hesitated in flipping her phone open; she desperately wanted to know if her mother would leave her a message. Something on her phone, from her mother, for her only. Proof. Of what, she didn't know, but she was so caught up with how her worldview had narrowed down to a single point—her phone—she didn't realize the elevator's doors had opened in front of her.

Something small yet heavy collided with her legs. Arms wrapped around her thighs, preventing her from stepping back to break her fall, and for a moment, her arms just windmilled uselessly. Hisako fell on her butt with a small child still attached to her legs.

"Oh goodness! I am  _so_  sorry!" A woman, still in the elevator, placed a hand against her open mouth. "Himawari! I told you, you should watch where you're going!"

"Oh, um, it's fine," Hisako said, trying to smile at the little girl rubbing her face against her legs. She had forgotten socks again, so the feeling of skin on skin was more than a little weird.

"Say…" The woman, likely the mother of the little girl, stepped out and pulled her off of Hisako. She frowned thoughtfully, and despite the iron grip on her daughter's hand, she had a gentle air around her. "Aren't you Fujihara's girl?"

"Yes," she replied with some small amount of surprise, standing up again.

"We're sort of your neighbors, we live just down the hall," she replied with a warm smile. "I'm Izumi Daida, and this is Himawari. I've spoken to your father a few times."

"Hello. I'm Hisako. It's nice to meet you both."

"Hi!" Himawari chirped right back.

"We're neighbors, you don't have to be so formal with us," Izumi said, laughing. "I'm sure you'll see Himawari running up and down the halls often enough, so it'd be nice to get past the formalities now." On cue, the little girl tried to make another break for it. Her mother didn't miss a beat and hauled her back to her side. "I'll speak to your father about getting together sometime, but we have to get going. Someone's excited for grocery shopping."

"Shopping!" Himawari squealed.

"It's nice to have a helper," Hisako replied.

"She's certainly helpful about it." Izumi finally allowed her to lead the way around her, towards the door. "I hope we'll see more of each other soon, Hisako-chan!"

"Byebye!" Himawari added before dragging her mother outside.

Still smiling to herself, Hisako entered the empty elevator. She told herself she had forgotten her missed call entirely; it was nice to see they had some pleasant neighbors. And it was even nicer to hear her dad had been socializing. She could bother him about having them over for dinner or something, but in the meantime, she had to continue trying to study for her midterms. And not worry herself sick over what her mother had called about.

With the commotion afterward, she hadn't heard if her phone had beeped for a voicemail or not.

_Am I supposed to call her back?_  Hisako suddenly thought in horror. Was she just supposed to  _call_  her mother casually?  _No, first I'll see if she left a voicemail…_

The elevator doors slid open on her floor to reveal a well-dressed god.

Hisako squinted up at Dumuzi, half-wishing he'd just leave so she could go back to having normal problems like mother issues. "Is this what my life has become?" she asked, unsure if she meant the supernatural business or the mother issues bit. And why did thinking of either of those things in those terms not upset her more?

"I'm sorry for all of this," Dumuzi said earnestly, wringing his hands.

Hisako ducked around him, peering around, but the hallway was empty. But anyone could leave their apartment at any moment, so with a resigned sigh, she beckoned him after her, into her own place. "Do I want to know why you're visiting now?"

"I know you've been speaking with Ereshkigal." He had the good grace not to look around the apartment, but it was still incredibly uncomfortable to see him in such a personal setting. She didn't dare invite him to her room; she'd just have to risk her dad not coming home early.

"I've  _told_  you I've asked her for help."

A pained expression flitted across his face before he schooled it back into something more worried. "Yet she seems to be hunting for my sister as well as I. I would like to find Ngeshtin-ana before she does, if at all possible."

"I need all the help I can get, especially since I don't really have any idea what's going on. I'm not," she halted, thinking back to how quickly Ereshkigal had lashed out at the others, "I'm not going to turn away any sources of help."

"I can find my sister. I can talk her down from whatever it is that she is scheming," Dumuzi said, nearly begging. He made to take a step closer, but seemed to think better of it after Hisako shot him a look. "I just ask for a little more time. Please, call your sister off, at least off of me."

"...Do you really think I have that much sway over her?" she asked.

"She's released you from Irkalla twice now. Never before has she performed such a feat, not for anyone. If anyone can reason with her, it is you, my dear." He did step towards her that time, but he did not reach for her. Small miracles, she supposed. She was not going to stand for any more unwanted touching, supernatural being or not.

"Twice?"

He smiled in a sad way. Something deep inside of her twisted at it. "Perhaps it is kinder you don't remember."

"I don't—"

Her cell phone rang again. She looked down at it as a reflex, but when she looked back up, Dumuzi was gone. The caller ID read ' _Suzuka_ ', and some part of her was glad it was not her mother.

"Hello?"

"Hi! I know I just saw you today, but Haruka and I were talking, and we're going to have an after-midterms sleepover! You in?"

She quickly tried to remember if she had any other supernatural secrets she didn't want to come to light. "Um, when?"

"Saturday night again? We can have a normal get-together, promise. Haruka and I are gonna do it anyway, but it'll be more fun with more of us, and we're betting that if we get you on our side, Mika-chan will join us, too. And—" Suzuka was cut off and there were some sounds of scuffling.

Haruka took over with a smooth tone, "And she's not saying it, but this is doubling as a farewell party for your favorite exchange-student-to-be. I'm not above guilting you into it, but like she said, it'll be easier to get Kuroki if you're already on board. Plus we can actually do stuff like paint our nails and gossip about boys this time around. That's what we're supposed to do, right? Not gossip about magical girls?"

She heard Suzuka shout something in the background, but couldn't quite make it out. "Oh, sure. I think so. You can count me in." It wasn't like she had a busy social life to interfere.

"Great! See you tomorrow, have a good night, and now, we're off to get Mika-chan!" Suzuka said, having taken her phone back, and hung up with some sort of battle cry.

As she looked at her phone, smiling at the thought of a more normal sleepover, she felt a little flutter in her chest at the voicemail icon in the corner.

-.-.-

Saturday, May 17th, 2014

…

"Hell week is over!" Suzuka crowed, pumping her fists.

"One more week!" Haruka shouted as well.

The redhead immediately dove for her and covered her mouth with her hand. "Shh, no more talk of that. No talk of it ever. Only good things."

Mika and Hisako exchanged a look, silently wondering why they were not more bothered being seen with them in public.

Haruka talked them all into visiting her favorite ice cream parlor on the way to Suzuka's, so they spent the bus ride back trying (in vain) not to drip all over their shoes. Suzuka introduced them very briefly to her grandparents, herded them into her room, and tossed a bag at Haruka's head. "You pick the color!"

"I'm picking the usual!" she replied cheerily and began digging around in it.

"...Are we actually doing this?" Mika asked. Haruka pulled out a bottle of violet nail polish with a triumphant hum. "Are we legitimately going to feign normalcy?"

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked and threw the bag back at Suzuka. "Wait, pick another color. There's not enough in here for our toes. Oh, and we need a clear coat, too."

"Roger!"

"I mean— _this_!" Mika gestured wildly to Hisako and Suzuka.

"Why can't we do both?" Haruka replied and shrugged.

"Want any sparkles? Anyone?" Suzuka asked, holding up a couple of bottles of various colors.

Hisako found it equal parts frustrating and amusing and was secretly very glad she was rarely exposed to Suzuka and Haruka's double-team. Mika groaned and said, "Why can't we give this the gravity it needs?"

"Why does it need gravity? It was just talking with a giant lion monster and a zombie goddess, and then we kicked the butt of some weird nurses," Suzuka said and held out a metallic silver to Haruka.

Hisako kept quiet about when the wall had almost bitten Suzuka's arm off and she started crying because of it. She was all for honesty now that the secret was out, but some things didn't need to be shared.

"If you don't realize why that needs to be taken seriously, then Fujihara is my only hope," Mika said hotly.

"Skipping your favorite magical girl?" Haruka asked.

"He is not—"

"We're not magical girls. Can we stop that already?" Hisako interjected.

"Fine. Maybe. I'm still going to imagine you all in uniform, though," the black-haired girl replied. She mollified Mika with the purple polish, and almost apologetically, said, "I only have a week left. Let's not talk about all of the nail-biting adventures you will have without me and  _instead_  talk about the exchange student. I saw him earlier today."

"I wondered why you missed part of our morning classes," Mika relented. Out of her view, Suzuka beamed at the successful change of subject, but Hisako was pretty sure there was something strained about it. Then again, for the past two weeks, she had staunchly tried to ignore every mention of Haruka's upcoming departure.

"Him?" she asked and leaned over to hand her best friend a clear polish.

"Him," Haruka confirmed with a sly smile. "I'll introduce you to him on Monday, that's his first official day."

"Coming in for the middle of a term, sheesh. Why'd the program mess up that bad?"

"Oh, that's what his family wanted, I guess? That's what he said. His school just got out, and they want him to spend the summer here, and at least he doesn't come right into midterms. I don't know, he always seemed aggravated by the entire thing. So you guys better be nice to him and help him while he adjusts!"

"Do we get a name?" Hisako asked, glancing up from her nails. She could hardly believe they were legitimately painting their nails together and talking about a boy, and then winced when she realized that the supposedly normal action was the strange part about her life.

"Not until Monday," Haruka declared.

"Not fair!" Suzuka replied at once.

" _You_  don't even know anything?" Mika asked, surprise clear.

"She's been keeping him under wraps, even from  _me_ , her best friend in the entire world."

"Almost all of our emails were in English. You'd hardly be able to read a word."

"A picture is worth a thousand words, in any language."

"It's going to be a surprise," Haruka said, and that was that. "...But he's totally cute."

"Not fair!" Suzuka screeched and looked around for something to throw. Haruka quickly pulled the only available pillow out of her range.

"Are you that excited to meet our exchange student?" Hisako asked, hoping to distract her.

"I want to know who dares try to replace my Haruka. And every time she brings him up she purposefully keeps anything from me! I want to know what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that we're both spending a year in another country. Can't that be a big deal on its own?"

"She must like him an awful lot if she wants to keep him to herself," Mika drawled and Haruka laughed nervously.

"Who wants to talk about magical people again?"

"...Seriously?" Hisako asked.

"I'm nothing like Kuroki and Kikuchi."

"I should hope not," Mika snapped. "There's nothing going on between us."

"Then actually, we're exactly like that! Minus all of the antagonism."

"Spill the beans!" Suzuka demanded and pounced on her. They both ended up with purple and silver smeared across their hands and necks, but somehow, they all ended up with matching nails, more or less. Hisako and Mika just went with one color on their hands, the other on their toes, but the other pair alternated both colors, and all of it had liberal amounts of glitter. And they only ruined one pillow.

Haruka refused to talk anymore about their exchange student, Hisako refused to summon the Velvet Room again, and Suzuka and Mika refused to drop those respective subjects. At one point, Hisako had been worried it would devolve into an actual argument, but Suzuka defused it with a nail polish war paint impression of Inanna. Which included taking her shirt off.

"Why are you still wearing a sports bra?" Mika asked as she and Hisako stared, caught off guard. "I thought athletes only wear them for practice?"

"Hell no, I wear them because they're comfortable," Suzuka replied, flipping her shirt back down over herself.

"Oh no, here we go," Haruka groaned as she flopped back onto the floor. Hisako only spared her one confused glance before Suzuka leaping to her feet drew her attention back.

"Do you guys want to see a magic trick?" the redhead asked eagerly, bouncing.

"Sure?"

"You'll regret this," Haruka added.

Suzuka dug around in her closet, grabbed something, and darted out to the bathroom. Mika and Hisako were left staring at the door with matching lost expressions.

She came back just a moment later and she must have grown three cup sizes. "Where the hell did those come from?" Mika asked bluntly. "Did you stuff your bra with something?" Hisako, for her part, only gaped wordlessly.

Suzuka strutted back and forth, pushing out her extra-ample chest. "It's magic."

"No, it's a damn shame," Haruka said, the only one not paying attention to her breasts. "She actually has boobs out to here and just wears her stupid sports bra all the time. Never thinking of the poor girls who would kill for half of that!"

Mika and Hisako looked down at themselves. Hisako was far from buxom, having a thinner (okay, flatter) figure like Haruka, but Mika had a few more curves. And then, the honey-haired girl turned to stare at Hisako's chest, too. Blushing, she covered herself and turned from them. "Wh-Why'd you look at me?"

"It's okay, I understand your pain!" Haruka declared loyally, sitting back up and gesturing to herself. Mika made an undignified sound and covered her mouth. Haruka glared at her for it, then elbowed her out of the way to throw her arms around Hisako.

"Having big boobs isn't that great," Suzuka said diplomatically and plopped down beside Mika.

"Says the girl with a shelf on her chest," Haruka shot back.

"They're a pain at practice. They're a pain  _all_  the time." She turned to Mika, clearly expecting backup.

"Don't look at me, I like mine."

"I'd like it if mine were like that. How about we split the difference?"

" _Why_  are we discussing this?!" Hisako asked.

"Boys send Haruka and Mika-chan into a tizzy, we can't talk about food or else I'll get hungry again, we can't talk about the exchange program because Haruka  _is not leaving me_ , and no magic stuff because I don't know. What else can we talk about?" Suzuka asked, pausing in trying to rub her chest against Mika's arm.

"You're perverted. This is your go-to when you run out of conversational topics?" she said, mouth pursed.

"No, that's baseball. But you two don't know anything about that."

"H-How about that  _Sailor Moon_  reboot?" Hisako said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. And that turned out to be her saving grace. They had a vote about favorite characters, discussing the merits of fighting in skirts, and then she ended up losing the topic when they dove back into supernatural topics.

She lost twice over when Haruka demanded to know who was flatter-chested. And to Hisako's great embarrassment, she ended up in last place. "Yes! Finally bigger than someone!" Haruka cheered as Suzuka collapsed into laughter.

They turned back to anime series and movies they'd seen recently in an effort to draw a disgruntled Hisako back into conversation. She stubbornly lasted as long as she could, but she had a fondness for sentai series and had to speak up when Suzuka made an offhand mention of  _Phoenix Ranger Featherman R_. With their little group in significantly higher spirits when they were avoiding more bickering and comparisons, it wasn't long before they sleepily settled in to snacks and movies.

Suzuka drifted off first, half-draped over Haruka's legs, and Hisako didn't miss the fond look she gave her. Haruka called it a night after the second movie finished, shoved Suzuka under a blanket, and left the other two with half a bowl of popcorn and one last movie in the trilogy.

"You tired?" Mika whispered.

"Not yet."

"Good." She snuggled down into her sleeping bag and carefully nudged the snack remnants out of the way of her feet. Her eyes looked bright in the light of the credits. "Mind talking to me for a little bit?"

"Of course not." Hisako hunkered down as well after turning the television off. She blinked owlishly in the sudden darkness, but with the rope-light Suzuka hung around her room, her eyes adjusted soon enough.

"I'm worried," Mika confessed, although that was hardly a secret. Hisako must've made a face, because she quickly clarified, "About you and Yuri and Sakuraba doing things, yes, but other things as well."

"Like?"

"Watanabe is leaving next week. I hope nothing happens before she leaves, but I  _know_  she will be worried after she does. How would you like to be an ocean away from your best friend, knowing that she's risking life and limb every week?"

"It's not really that bad. For us, at least," Hisako said, and it was only half a lie. She conveniently ignored the utter  _exhaustion_  she recalled on the last leg of Suzuka's level. Worrying wouldn't help anyone, least of all Mika.

"After she leaves," Mika began slowly, and looked away for the first time, "I'd like to try something."

"Try what?"

"I want to go down into that place with you. It will be simpler for you to keep an eye on just one person rather than both of us, and I can help reassure Watanabe about it if need be. I just want to make sure it's not as bad as you say, because it sounds as if it has the potential to be very bad."

"Absolutely not," Hisako said flatly.

"Why not?" Mika replied, affronted by the quick answer.

With a furtive glance up at the pair sleeping on the bed, Hisako lowered her voice further and told her, "I almost died before I got my Persona. I'm pretty sure I would have actually died. With Yuri-kun and Suzuka-chan, they end up in areas with no monsters to attack them, and so the only danger they face is their kidnapper, and Personas seem to stop her sort of easily."

"Why them, then?" Mika asked. "Why are they targeted? Why do they gain Personas?"

"The reasons may be tied together somehow, but I'm not sure. None of us are. And that's part of why I don't want to see what will happen if we bring someone in who won't have one."

"What about that card thing? Maybe that means I'll get one."

"I had wondered that, too, but I only got Yuri-kun's afterward, and I also have one for my father and the Velvet Room assistants. They mentioned that they're  _supposed_  to be tied to Personas somehow, but that it wasn't working. So I don't think that's it."

"Please, Hisako-san. Just once. I'll arm myself, I'll follow every direction, we don't have to do anything particularly difficult. Please let me find out firsthand what you're facing."

"It's  _dangerous_ ," she stressed for the umpteenth time. Did that part not process? "And you don't have to be so formal with me, even when you're asking for a favor. Especially because the answer is still no. Why are you so adamant on doing this?"

"Because I need to feel useful. I—want to feel useful, because I hate inaction." Mika hid her face with her pillow, voice coming out muffled as a result.

"You're already useful!"

"How?"

"Well, if we need a cover… And you're great moral support! It's really a relief to not have to keep a secret from you and Haruka-chan now, either, so I suppose you give us some peace of mind."

"I hate inaction," Mika repeated in a murmur. She peeked up over the pillow, expression as solemn as ever, and added, "But I'm sorry to be whining to you like this. I shouldn't have brought it up like that."

Hisako's heart stuttered at the sadness in her voice. She wasn't made of stone, and while she didn't see a happy solution for either of them, she couldn't maintain a full no. "...Maybe if you bring it up with Yuri-kun…"  _Please oh please let him be able to reason with her_ , she thought selfishly, and hating herself for it. But she just couldn't keep shutting her friend down like that.

Mika's head snapped up so fast it was a minor miracle she didn't get whiplash. "He influences your decisions?"

"That is  _not_  what you were supposed to get out of that!" she hissed, utterly exasperated and wishing she hadn't brought him up at all.

But Mika's small, grateful smile softened her annoyance against her will. Hisako was not surprised at the resulting flash of light, even if it was especially blinding in the dim room. As usual, Mika didn't seem to notice it, and instead frowned at her flinch. "Are you okay?"

She felt the card in her hand and pulled it out to show her. The Tower, with another little star on the bottom. "I think you're becoming a recurring thing with these slumber parties."

"I wouldn't mind that. May I?" She handed over the card, and Mika turned it over gently, studying every little detail. "Why is there a hole in the top?"

"I have them tacked to my calendar at home. It looks as if it's the same one that keeps appearing to me, updating itself or something. I don't understand how all of this magic stuff works." Hisako sighed and slumped down on her pile of blankets. Mika handed the card back and she tucked it under her pillow. It probably wouldn't get bent. Hopefully. "I just wish I had someone to help answer some of the questions I had. I already have to divide up who I ask about what, since everyone seems to have different pieces of the puzzle, and there are  _still_  some that end up missing."

"When do you think the Velvet Room assistants will let you back in?"

"Whenever they're done being grounded, I suppose. In a lot of ways, they're the most mysterious and difficult out of all of the people I've been asking."

"If their master is helping you, then why did he punish them for visiting with you?" Mika asked.

Hisako crossed her arms and huffed into her pillow. "That's what I'd like to know."

They fell asleep soon after, and Hisako made a note to thank Mika for whatever future-seeing gifts she might have, because she found herself in a blue train car.

Igor was across from her, shuffling tarot cards, smiling as enigmatically as ever. "Welcome, my dear guest, to the Velvet Room. I am sure you've by now noticed, but I've summoned you in a dream once more."

"I've noticed. Are Octavia and Atticus ungrounded?" she asked hopefully.

"Such an interesting human phrase—'grounded'. I rather wish they were. They are reasonably free to move and act as they please, to answer your question, but I would actually like to speak to you about them." Igor looked up at her, and while he was still smiling, she suddenly felt a little less welcome in the car. "Do you know what it is we do here?"

"You… run the Velvet Room?"

"Yes. I am the master of this space now, and I have employed an array of assistants through the years. It is our honor to humbly serve whomever may utilize the power of Persona, but, traditionally, they must also possess the Wild Card."

Hisako sunk down in her seat, equal parts embarrassed and uneasy. "Um, have you figured out anything about that?"

"I am still pursuing leads," he replied easily. He stopped shuffling, and instead spread the deck across the table between them. "Please, pick three."

She reached out, watching him for any signs of anything other than a creepy smile, and pulled out three cards. Igor pulled the rest back into a deck with a wave of his hand, and then flipped over the first of hers. She was momentarily surprised to see that it was not one of the major arcana, but instead, a figure with two staffs crossed behind her, holding an orb.

"The two of wands. A good sign for you, esteemed guest. Soon, you'll be given a great advantage or insight into the problems that plague you," Igor said easily.

Hisako narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought we were going to talk about your assistants."

"They'll be returning to you soon," he reminded her.

It took a moment for it to click. "Are they going to be my great advantage?" That sounded wonderful, and even if she still half-dreaded what he was going to talk to her about specifically, it could only be good news in the long run.

"Potentially. Even I cannot know for certain."

She thought he would take the opportunity to actually  _speak_  to her, but he only flipped up the next card. She resisted the urge to pout as she glared at it: the nine of swords. It was a little more somber than the two of wands, with its figure hiding its face in its hands, wrists tied, against a background of blades.

"It seems as if misfortune may be on the heels of your previous fortune," Igor said evenly. "This card depicts the fear of avoiding things, yet dealing with them all the same. Just because you wish not to think of something does not mean it won't happen."

"I know that," she replied.

He didn't mention any sort of connection to Octavia or Atticus, and turned over the final card. It was the eight of swords, depicting the same figure as the nine, but tied completely, even blindfolded, standing in a field of swords. "Curious, two neighbors in the arcana. This card represents the illusion of immobility."

"Illusion?"

"There is always a way to move forward, even if you cannot at first see it," he replied. He took the three cards, placed them back into his deck, and folded his long fingers under his nose. Igor smiled at her again. "This is not my primary duty, but given that I cannot perform that for you at this time, I thought to try to give you any advantage, however minor, that I could."

"Your primary duty is helping me…  _make_  Personas. Which I can't."

"No, you cannot."

"What are the twins' primary duties?"

"Helping you navigate other areas of having a Persona, or several. Granting new skills, fetching and creating items for you to use, answering questions, and keeping the Compendium updated. Unfortunately, by the very nature of their duties, they are drawn to humans. It is their job to help in any way they can, perhaps even more so than I, and to anticipate anything the guest may need in their quest. This involves a fair amount of familiarity, I'm sure you can imagine."

Hisako suddenly realized where this was going. "Yes, I can imagine."

"All of my assistants are young, comparatively speaking. And, if I may be frank with you, I've had a run of bad luck with them."

"Bad luck?"

"They are impressionable. They gain attachments easily, perhaps too easily. In some cases, these attachments manifest as social links."

"...Yes, I suppose they do."

"This would be a valuable growing experience, both for our esteemed guest as well as my assistants, were things usually not so dire. As it stands, there is a chance they may become overly attached and thus blind themselves to what needs to be done. I don't wish for that to happen, for your sake, my dear guest."

Hisako almost thought he was threatening her, until she saw the way his smile had slipped a bit. Igor simply looked tired. "...Octavia and Atticus aren't your first assistants to do this, are they?"

"No. Very far from it. But in the past, I have lost assistants to noble but ultimately futile pursuits in the name of helping their guest."

So there had been other guests, and there had been other assistants. She should have realized that much, but somehow, she had never really thought about it. Hisako didn't want to ask him any further about it, since she wasn't entirely ready to look at Igor as anything as a cryptic long-nosed man who asked an awful lot of rhetorical questions, but also because she didn't want to confront the thought of Octavia or Atticus getting  _too_  attached to her.

"I'm not asking you to do anything for or against them. I would never wish to unduly shape a guest's journey. I'm only asking that you be aware of the risks associated with their position," Igor added calmly.

"I will be." She didn't know what else to say, but it seemed to satisfy him. With a nod, he waved his hand, and the door at the end of the car audibly unlocked. Atticus and Octavia spilled into the car, the latter just barely catching herself onto a seat, whereas her brother neatly landed on his face.

They straightened at once, adjusting their hair and uniforms, all prim and proper. "Dear Hisa-chan," Atticus said stiffly, giving her a slight bow.

"I've already spoken to her. You may continue your duties now, with added caution," Igor announced. The words were hardly out of his mouth before Octavia threw herself at Hisako, nuzzling into her hair. Atticus made an offended noise at being left behind and threw his arms around both of them, hugging them almost aggressively.

Igor and Hisako sighed in unison.

-.-.-

Monday, May 19th, 2014

…

Mika, Hisako, and Suzuka were at school early. Mika wasn't such a surprise, and sometimes Hisako was there reasonably early, but Suzuka was the real shocker. That, and her chest. Mika and Hisako couldn't stop staring, both red-faced.

Yuri walked into their classroom, took one look at Suzuka, and asked, "What the hell are those?" He even pointed.

"It's the miracle of a push-up bra," Suzuka said proudly, hands on her hips. Mika threw a pencil at Yuri for staring, but in his defense, the rest of their early classmates were doing double-takes or flat-out gaping at her, as well.

"Okay, but why? I know puberty happens, but I didn't think it happened over the course of a weekend."

"Oh, dear, sweet, naive boy. You have much to learn about womankind," Suzuka said and perched on the edge of his desk. Mika turned two shades darker. "Maybe if you learned a bit more you wouldn't offend everyone in the school when you painted them."

"Can you blame me for not understanding the feminine mystique when you show up out of nowhere like  _this_? I've known you since middle school!"

"Yuri, stop staring," Mika said, not taking her own advice.

"They're at eye-level," he replied, also not taking it.

Suzuka didn't seem bothered in the least by the attention, and rather, basked in it. "This is what Haruka gets when she refuses to tell me a thing about our mysterious exchange student."

"So you're going to put his eye out?" Mika asked, tearing her eyes away for the first time. "Or is this to be a seduction?"

Yuri cringed. "Don't ever say that again."

"I don't think—" Hisako was interrupted by the clack of the door opening. Suzuka leapt off of Yuri's desk as Haruka finally appeared. Hisako and Mika hurriedly chased her, to rein her in if need be, but for her part, Hisako knew she was curious about this exchange student, too.

Haruka bodily blocked the open door, glaring down at Suzuka. "Put those away."

"Let's meet the new kid," Suzuka replied with a wide grin.

"Put those away," she maintained, but a figure behind her made a confused sound. While they weren't as tall as the black-haired girl, they were far taller than Suzuka, so Hisako and Mika easily looked over her shoulders at their new classmate.

The boy blinked back at them, visibly confused as to why Haruka was blocking his way. Hisako's first impression was simply  _oh no he's cute_. With bright blonde hair that fell in waves and curls, just barely into his eyes, and an incredibly endearing slightly crooked grin, Hisako knew this wasn't going to end well. She could feel herself blush.

"Hello," he said, with a slight accent that was nothing but charming.

At the sound of the new voice, Suzuka flung herself at Haruka, attempting to climb her like a tree to get a look. Mika danced out of the way in time, but Hisako was not so lucky, and somehow all four of them ended up in a tangled pile in the hallway. The only mercy was that she ended up sandwiched between the two girls rather than sprawled across the new boy.

"And there go our first impressions," Mika said flatly from above.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Dog Lover social link has ranked up! The Tower arcana has reached rank 2.


	10. Rakukaja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a crush is acknowledged and a pitcher doesn't want to argue.

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014

…

The day after, Suzuka came back with her customary sports bra, and Hisako watched in despair as the new boy gave Haruka a _very_ confused look and mimed breasts over his own chest. Suzuka laughed heartily at their expense and Mika rolled her eyes. Hisako couldn't stop watching the new boy.

His name was Mathias Poirier, he was from Montreal, and oh, she was totally smitten. She'd only had a crush (at least, on a real person, so Blue Swan didn't count) once before in her life, and it had abruptly died when the boy in question had dumped sand on her hair on the playground. While she sincerely hoped this didn't follow the same route, it did mean she was woefully unprepared on how to deal with it.

Worse, it seemed like it was completely obvious. Haruka, joined at the hip with Mathias as his self-appointed guide to the school, hadn't yet said anything, but she had given her more than one significant, knowing look. Mika kept doing the same. Even Yuri had given her confused frowns. Only Suzuka seemed ignorant to how she couldn't keep her eyes off of him, and that was only because she was staring as much as she was.

Hisako ran a hand over her face. Her life just got impossibly more complicated.

To make matters even worse, at lunch, Haruka unassumingly sat down with Mathias at their table in the courtyard. The day before, they had opted for a tour of the school instead. Haruka and Suzuka exchanged a grin, and directly across from her, Mathias tried to catch her eye. Her rice suddenly became infinitely more fascinating.

She felt more than saw Suzuka lean forward as she set her chin in her hands. Hisako grumpily stayed out of the conversation and ate, thinking about everything except her Sun and the new classmate. That was, until said Sun chirped, "Haruka, it's Tuesday."

Haruka stiffened in her seat and Hisako shot a glance at Suzuka. "...It's alright if you want to skip," Mika said tactfully.

"You already skipped practice yesterday," Suzuka said with the same bright smile.

"It's my last week, coach said I don't have to come," Haruka retorted, eyes narrowed on her friend. They didn't _need_ Haruka to be there, and Suzuka knew that, and if Haruka wanted to spend more time with Mathias after school, then that was okay. It was okay because she was helping him, and they were clearly good friends already, and at least it wasn't Suzuka—Hisako cut the thought off before it could fully form, but she still felt horrible for it.

"If you had plans, you don't have to meet with me," Mathias said politely.

"Oh, uh, well." Haruka sighed, turning her glare up on the ceiling.

_Ah_ , Hisako realized. It was her last Tuesday, which meant the last time she could see them off at Irkalla unless they made special plans… Of course she'd want to do it.

"I'll explore the city with another escort," he continued and turned towards Hisako. "Do you mind going for a walk with me after class today, Hisako-san?"

She was surprised she didn't simply implode on the spot. She felt her face grow hot, and she couldn't think of any words, much less words that made sense, and oh god he was still smiling at her, expecting some sort of reply. She opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish. Surely that sufficed?

"Sorry, we have plans today." Yuri to the rescue, sliding onto the bench next to her, scooting her over into Suzuka. Mika's glower was tangible, and after a beat, watching the way Mathias' smile fell a bit, Hisako _really_ wished it had been anyone but Yuri to save her.

"S-Surely our plans aren't that important," she squeaked, trying to laugh off her terrible blush.

"They sure aren't," Mika said hotly. Hisako wasn't entirely sure if she was legitimately on her side, or simply opposing Yuri as a kneejerk response.

"No, I'm pretty sure they are," Haruka replied, scowling at her.

"I'll take you out on the town!" Suzuka offered and Hisako felt her stomach flop over.

" _You're_ the one who has to come," Yuri said at once. They had planned on trying to make it through Suzuka's portion of Irkalla to see if another intelligent monster had appeared in her place at the end. But that wasn't time-sensitive, surely they could have a Tuesday off… But then there was Haruka… But Mathias had wanted to spend time with _her_ …!

"If you're busy, I can go home by myself," Mathias told Haruka.

"No, we aren't!" Hisako exclaimed.

"Yes, we are!" Haruka retorted.

And that was how she ended up moping in Irkalla. Suzuka seemed only slightly less fazed by it than she was, and Yuri was totally exasperated with the both of them. While the entire conversation had been rather mortifying in hindsight, she really was disappointed she hadn't been able to spend any time with him. And he had invited _her_ along in place of Haruka! She had been his first choice! That surely meant something.

She was even less used to feelings being returned than having any, however. Was he being polite? Then why single _her_ out? He knew Mika was one of the class reps, so surely he'd go for her instead as a neutral party. She was also better at English; more than once, Mathias had turned to Haruka for help translating something, or got frustrated and gave up on a sentence. It was pretty cute, but she could understand the difficulties of switching to another language full-time, too.

A blast of wind in her face broke her out of her thoughts. "Fujihara, pay attention!" Yuri barked as a masked, rearing green gryphon squawked proudly.

Tiamat's jaws shut on it, leaving only a paw and a tail left. Even those vanished in a little puff of smoke not soon after. Suzuka happily retrieved the handful of feathers it left behind. "Loot! What are we even going to do with all this stuff?"

"With feathers? I don't know." Yuri put them in his backpack all the same.

After bringing Mika and Haruka onto the team, in a fashion, it meant they were better prepared. They had a stash of things kept down there: backpacks for all three of them, a first aid kit, an extra painting knife, and a change of clothes. They could only fix their uniforms themselves so much. It was nice to feel more professional in their exploration, and even better to be collecting more things from the monsters as they defeated more with Suzuka's help, but it was hard to be excited about a couple of feathers. It was even harder to be excited in her current state of mind.

She sullenly dragged her staff along behind her, ignoring Inanna's constant curious prodding. Yuri had taken the lead (really, she all but forced him to) and pushed them onward. It was petty of her, she knew, but Mathias was so cute, and so friendly…

She ran into Yuri's back. Pursing her lips, she mumbled, "Sorry."

"I don't like you when you're daydreaming about that guy," he replied, blunt as ever.

"Jealous?" Suzuka sang. Hisako winced.

"Hardly. But she's the only one with a weapon outside of our Personas and Inanna's not all here today, either. She keeps disappearing while you're off fantasizing about boys, too."

"...That sounded a little jealous," Hisako muttered petulantly.

"I'm not jealous! This is not a field trip, remember? These things are violent and _will_ eat us."

"We're still in the beginning of the maze, though," Suzuka pointed out.

Yuri rounded on her. "You're not much better! Why won't you use a weapon?"

"Why won't you?"

"I don't swing a bat all day for fun!"

She flinched at that. Looking away, Suzuka replied, "I can't use a bat like that. It's just—I don't like that feeling of the crunchiness."

Yuri threw his arms in the air and stalked off. The girls trailed after him, Tiamat uncoiling as they went. Inanna had disappeared again when she wasn't paying attention, and he was right, that was dangerous. But she didn't like the way he got so upset with _them_ about it.

"I wouldn't mind getting a weapon. In general," Suzuka mused and laced her fingers behind her head. "Something to help Tiamat and you guys out. Just not anything like a bat or that stick of yours. Think we can pry something out of a monster like you did?"

"I don't know. A lot of monsters don't have weapons that aren't claws or teeth," Hisako replied. "And this conducts ice magic. You should think of something that suits you, although don't feel pressured to. It's fine just letting your Persona do the fighting."

"I feel weird, relying on her all the time. And sometimes, when we get surprised by stuff, it'd be nice to be able to do something other than kick them away."

"I suppose."

"I'm imagining Kikuchi with a giant fan."

"I could see it."

"I can hear you," he reminded them from up ahead.

"Good! This is supposed to be a group effort, after all!" Suzuka called back with a laugh. She seemed to be in a positive mood overall, which Hisako was equal parts annoyed at and grateful for. She spent nearly as much time staring at the new boy as she did, but she wasn't at all bothered by being down there instead, or even that Mathias had asked Hisako to act as a guide.

"Is this just a game to you?" Yuri asked irritably as Suzuka spotted a monster and ran off after it. He waited for Hisako, arms crossed, and glared pointedly at the redhead and poor jackal down the hall. "We need to talk about her."

"You're just being grumpy because you're in a bad mood," she mumbled.

"I don't want teammates who put me in a bad mood," he retorted, and after a beat, seemed to realize how childish he sounded. He uncrossed his arms and, lacking anything to do with them, fiddled with his painting knife. "I know, I'm sorry. It's bad enough that I'm outnumbered here, but I don't want this to turn into a bunch of sighing and cooing over boys."

"Outnumbered?" Hisako repeated blankly.

"Two girls. Only guy. And the two girls are both—"

"Shh!" On reflex, she covered his mouth with her hand, even if she had to reach for him. "Don't say it out loud. I can't bear to hear it."

He growled something against her hand, but she gave him the most pathetic, pleading look she could muster.

"I'll pay more attention down here and Suzuka-chan and I will work on finding a weapon for her, and I'll sort out my personal problems—somehow—but don't say it. Not now."

He rolled his eyes and she eased away from him. "I didn't sign up for a love triangle."

"I didn't either!"

"What, and I did?" Suzuka said, and they both jumped, turning to her with matching expressions of horror. Hisako quickly hid her face in shame. "Woah, I just wanted to tell you two that there's a fat lemur thing up ahead, and it tried shooting something windy at me, so I was gonna ask you two to take care of it. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"You didn't interrupt," Yuri said. "We were just talking about you."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"S-So, lemur thing!" Hisako exclaimed and pushed past them. She knew Irkalla had a reputation for intimate discussions and made for a good place to talk in general, what with all of the walking and general silence, but she was not prepared to talk about her crush openly and with Suzuka, of all her friends. She knew Suzuka was friendlier, and prettier, and not to mention bustier, and she was not ready to discuss giving up on Mathias for her. Not yet.

So she gladly faced a very fat, very purple lemur monster around a corner. It had a little crown perched over its mask, and was covered in black stripes, aside from a round, white belly. It was almost cute, as far as monsters went. And it made for the best distraction, since it was nothing they had ever encountered before.

The lemur squealed and shook its ringed tail at them. A strange little whirlwind-looking thing puffed on over to them, relatively slow and easy to sidestep. "That doesn't look like wind magic," Hisako said, curious and adamant on keeping the conversation on track.

"Not wind magic," Yuri agreed loyally.

"Not something I want to get hit with, if it's all the same. How many kinds of magic are there?"

"Well, there's ice, wind, fire, and lightning, I guess?" Hisako stepped out of the way of another slow-moving attack. Gimmicks with monsters were usually a bad sign, but she didn't mind slow ones. Maybe it was another special creature, and maybe it would drop something neat as loot. Nothing visible as a weapon they could take from it, though, unless Suzuka wanted to use its tail as a whip or something to that effect.

The lemur was too fat to even run away properly. As they simply walked closer, it rolled over and tried to inch away, tail still quivering like mad. It went from cute to pathetic. Hisako experimentally poked it with her staff and was unsurprised to find that it was about as squishy as it looked.

With one solid whack on the head, it died. And then promptly exploded.

Hisako expected to be thrown back, and she felt the sensation of movement, but it was movement _down_ , not backwards. She broke her fall with her hands, her staff clattering to the ground beside her, and took a moment to process that she had fallen straight down.

Straight down into a hallway she didn't recognize. Straight down into another part of Irkalla alone.

Well, there was the gimmick.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, "Yuri-kun?! Suzuka-chan!" There was no response, not even an echo. "Stupid lemur. Of course it exploded. Magically exploded." She picked up her staff, bit her thumb, and continued griping to Inanna. "There was a lemur, and it was dumb, and now we're alone. From now on, you're handling all lemur monsters while we're a safe distance away."

Inanna crouched down beside her, leaning in curiously, and too late, Hisako remembered that she was still on about her crush. Probably. They really had to figure out how the mental connection worked and how much was passed back and forth.

"Why are you so interested, anyway?"

Inanna smiled. It was a perfectly kind gesture, but it was anything but reassuring.

"I don't want to talk about it. Let's just find my friends."

Peeved, Inanna responded by disappearing. Hisako summoned her again, but when it was clear she was still not going to share, she left again. It continued, mostly because she didn't want to be alone, and while Inanna did fight any monsters they encountered, her darkening mood was only serving to do the same to Hisako's.

So Suzuka knew they were rivals, and Hisako didn't know how to handle a crush, and she had the terrible hope that Mathias might be interested in her, too. _Wait, does that mean I don't have to give him up to Suzuka-chan?_ That thought just worsened her hope. She didn't want to fight with her friend, least of all over a boy, and she knew she was just being silly.

But she was so used to giving things up, and of not liking people, she had assumed that Suzuka would be the victor. Not that Mathias was a prize to be won, but she hardly knew him. Suzuka was a good friend. Hisako, deep down, had already thought about them ending up together and being happy with one another. She'd probably be happy for them. But she wasn't ready to give up staring at him just yet.

"Inanna, am I petty?" Shoot, and she had wanted to keep quiet about it all. Inanna leaned in so fast and with a grin so wide that Hisako nearly lost her balance. "Y-You're actually interested in this, huh?"

Inanna gestured to herself, but Hisako didn't understand.

"Uh, right. It's just… There's a boy. And I think Suzuka-chan and I both maybe kind of sort of like him? A little? Maybe?" And there it was, said aloud.

Her Persona nodded wisely, as if she knew exactly what she was talking about. Despite herself, Hisako felt a little better at that. They continued walking, and she continued talking, even if it was directionless and she danced around a lot of it. But Inanna listened with rapt attention. She hardly looked away, even when fighting enemies, and dealt with anything they encountered with even more viciousness than normal.

Hisako could tell she was beginning to tire, and she herself didn't feel particularly great, but having Inanna so focused on her was strangely pleasing. Maybe that meant she was narcissistic, too.

Before she knew it, they had made it to the art gallery—and even better, there were familiar faces waiting by it. Suzuka was sitting by a wall, with her enormous Persona coiled around her. "There you are! Jumping jellybeans, I've been waiting here for _hours_!"

"There's no sense of time down here," Hisako replied with a smile.

"Well, it still felt like it! Are we even still in Irkalla?"

"Yes, of course?"

Suzuka just gestured to the shiny tile and artsy lighting of the gallery.

"Oh, you haven't… I'm sorry." Hisako sat down next to her, adjusted her dress' hem, and glared up at Inanna for the spike of outrage she had sent at their interruption. "Irkalla is divided into floors, and this is Yuri-kun's, since he was kidnapped here first, I suppose. And each floor is customized to that person. Or influenced by them."

"...So he made an art gallery?" she asked with her nose wrinkled. "He could've made _anything_ , and he made an art gallery?"

"Maybe he wanted something familiar." She kindly did not remind her of her own section of the labyrinth. She would see soon enough.

"Is that why all the paintings are of Mika-chan?"

"They are?" Hisako scrambled over to the nearest door and looked inside. The painting had changed, but it wasn't immediately recognizable as Mika. She could see it, sure, but only after she'd been told to expect it. "I'm not sure these are…"

"Have you actually ever _seen_ one of his paintings?" Suzuka asked, sidling up to her with a grin.

"Um, no. These don't count."

"No, they're not really his style. And that's why I can tell they're all of her."

"Are you some sort of art critic now?"

"No, but I know how friends act," she replied cryptically and turned back to the painting. After a beat, with a softer voice, she said, "I'm not like Haruka. I'm not convinced it's a huge impending crush between them. Sure, it's fun to tease them about it, but these are not a guy painting his true love."

"Then what are they of?"

"Someone looking at their best friend and feeling very, very sad about them."

Hisako didn't quite know what to say to that. They both sat down in that room, staring at the large canvas. Depicting a girl in a light dress, it was all greens, sort of blotchy and with no clear outlines on anything. That was about all she could make out from it without thinking too much about Mika.

"I don't know what it is, but it's not a crush," Suzuka said without warning.

"I think they'll work it out. They're speaking to each other regularly now, aren't they?"

"No, with Mathias." Hisako stiffened against her side. Suzuka nudged her lightly. "It's really weird. I don't know what it is. But I've had crushes before and this isn't the same. So, like, please don't worry that I'll steal him away from you or something."

"I wasn't worried about that," she lied.

"What, were you worried about not being the only natural blonde in class anymore?" Her smile had turned into a full grin and Hisako couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Don't worry, you wear it better."

"But he has blue eyes, they're so pretty. So, so blue."

"Wow. Girl, you've got it bad."

"Oh god, I _know_ ," she said and tried to hide her blush with her dress. "I don't know what to do. I appreciate your honesty, but I don't know what to do about you _or_ him. I usually don't like boys!"

"You bat for the other team?" Suzuka asked, eyebrows raised.

"That's not what I meant!" Hisako exclaimed.

"Speaking of batting, I got an idea while I was waiting! Here, watch this." Suzuka rummaged around in her backpack until she pulled out her painting knife. Without warning, she threw it against the far wall. It bounced off with a clang, but before it hit the ground, a bolt of lightning from Tiamat struck it. "Okay, so I figure monster skin will let it stick better, but see! I was sitting here thinking, about stuff I can do, and I can throw stuff. I mean, I _am_ the star pitcher, after all. And what you said earlier, about your stick conducting ice magic—"

"Metal conducts electricity," Hisako finished. Suzuka nodded with clear excitement.

"Throwing stuff and metal! I mean, it's way different than throwing a baseball or a softball, but I got the arm for it, and now I can turn enemies into lightning rods!"

"That's a wonderful idea!" It was very Suzuka, and suited her perfectly. The redhead beamed.

"Okay, so with that, you're all caught up on me. No crush and weapon of choice. So, back to you."

"N-No, I'd much rather discuss the logistics of finding throwing knives for you."

"I figure I can find some on the internet."

"What if we found something down here with knives you could take? We've come across other things with weapons already, so it's not outside the realm of possibility."

"So, we can't be sure if he's a boob man or not. I mean, he looked at me yesterday, but not all that much, I feel. But maybe he likes legs! You have pretty nice legs, so hope's not lost for you!"

Turning scarlet, she covered her chest with her arms and squeaked, "That's mean! Just because I have a flatter figure doesn't mean…!" She wasn't sure what it didn't mean, but she was completely certain that Suzuka shouldn't be throwing it back in her face.

Especially if Mathias _was_ a boob man. Oh no, if Suzuka was relenting in the (imagined) rivalry, that was one thing, but what if he preferred her anyway?

She made a distressed sound. Suzuka clapped her on the shoulder, looked her in the eye, and asked solemnly, "Have you thought about stuffing your bra?"

Hisako hadn't thought it was possible to blush harder, but miracles never ceased. "I. Um." It took all of her courage, but she managed to maintain Suzuka's gaze and ground out, "I do. S-Sometimes. Already." Mostly it involved a padded bra, and this was wading dangerously close to dark waters, but _she_ had been the one to bring it up (again!).

Her friend immediately looked down to her covered chest again. Hisako resisted the urge to hit her and was pretty sure her blush darkened even more. She had to be breaking records by that point.

"Fujihara! Sakuraba! _There_ you two are!" They both gave a start at the sudden shout, but it worked well to defuse the mounting embarrassment. Yuri blatantly ignored the painting and instead, surprisingly, pulled Hisako to her feet and looked her up and down. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just a little tired," she replied, bemused.

"And you?"

"Well, thanks for not ignoring me, at least," Suzuka replied sweetly, but then seemed equally shocked when he knelt down to look her over. "I'm fine. I got dropped off pretty close to here and waited for Hisako-chan. Then we had a nice girl talk. No big deal, so what's got you so spooked?"

Yuri slumped to the floor with a weary sigh. "Thank goodness. ...I was, er, worried."

"Why? We both have Personas," Hisako replied.

"I'm the only one who can heal, remember?" he said quietly. Before either of them could reply, he stood up, and hauled Suzuka up as well. "But we're all here in one piece. And I interrupted girl talks. How rude of me."

"Only a little."

"Please, feel free to return to talks about stuffing bras. I'll just be staring at the lovely tiled floor in an effort to ignore these fake paintings."

Suzuka snorted back a laugh. "H-How much of that did you hear?! Were you eavesdropping on us?" Hisako demanded shrilly, blush back in full force. No wonder Mika had such a low opinion of him.

"I wasn't trying to. But sound carries in here. Do continue."

"Both of you will drop it. Now," she spat, and raised her staff to point it at him. The tip glittered with uncast ice magic. "If you say one word about this ever again, Yuri Kikuchi, I'll make you _wish_ Mika had been the one to punish you."

He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Does this mean I get to—" Suzuka began but Hisako swung her staff around to point at her.

"No one mentions chest measurements _ever again_. I have Persona seniority and I'm going to use it."

Utterly mortified, Hisako marched them through the gallery, trying her best to keep her composure. Really, she just wanted to turn around and leave, but they were halfway there, and she didn't want either of them to know how bothered she actually was. It wasn't _her_ fault she'd been born with a flat figure…

Suzuka was one thing, since she was a girl, but Yuri was a boy. A boy that, for the most part, had not yet turned any sort of perverted or rude attentions on her. Not that she particularly suspected his motives, but that sort of made it worse. She didn't want either of them thinking about her body with any manner of casualness.

Mercifully, the subject was dropped altogether when they descended the stairs to Suzuka's level of Irkalla, only to find it thunderstorming.

The trio stood at the bottom, staring dumbly at the roiling clouds and pouring rain. Lightning flashed and thunder followed immediately. Behind them, Yuri jumped at it.

Hisako turned to him, arching an eyebrow. She had little pity for those who injured her. "...Are you _afraid_ of thunder?"

"Tiamat's attacks have thunder cracks sometimes," Suzuka said, but she was staring at him with suspicion as well.

Another lightning strike, further off in the maze, and a roll of thunder. He definitely flinched. "Maybe." At least he didn't try to fully deny it. "It's not thunder. It's the entire storm thing. They make me uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable. Right." She should have received a medal for resisting the urge to make a remark about how uncomfortable she'd been earlier. "So, it's thunderstorming. Indoors, or at least in an enclosed space. For some reason."

Yuri glared down at Suzuka. "What? It wasn't me! I just got here, same as you."

"It's _your_ area."

"Your area was full of Mika-chan. Do you want to get accusatory right now?"

He jerked at another snap of thunder overhead. "Yes. I blame you entirely for this."

"You're a grown man. Don't be afraid of something like this!"

"I'm sixteen, I'm entitled to a little childishness! And wait—legitimate fears aren't childish. Storms can knock out power, cause floods, not to mention all of the wind and loud noises—"

"You're sounding more and more ridiculous about this."

"Why are you being so snippy? This is _your_ fault!" He sounded genuinely puzzled by her responses. Hisako rolled her eyes. She had been expecting Suzuka's mood to change as they got to her area, just as he had become short and easily annoyed in his at first. She just didn't know if he didn't realize it or was a hypocrite. Hopefully the former.

The hard rain made ice skating impossible, so they were left to trek onward on foot. None of them had thought to bring an umbrella, since downpours weren't what they were expecting in an underground maze, and despite her pleading, Inanna couldn't create some sort of ice umbrella for them. Yuri ended up using Enlil as cover, while the girls tried in vain to utilize their Personas for the same reason. A reptile on a stormcloud and a half-naked woman didn't make for very good shelters.

The only upside was that visibility was reduced for not only them, but also the monsters lurking within. They ran past more than their fair share, stumbled upon a treasure chest full of more gold coins (with no sunflowers in sight), and in the maze proper, the wind was all but gone.

It felt like at least an hour of searching, and probably backtracking, but at last, Hisako had to seek additional help. With Inanna's help, she made a reflective sheet of ice on one wall, and as the rain began to erode it at an alarming pace, she summoned the Velvet Room. She spilled into it with a sizeable amount of water. "Dear Hisa-chan!" the twins chorused, embracing her without a care for how wet her clothes were.

"Please, can we have a shortcut?" she gasped out, pathetically dripping on the carpet.

They both pulled away with matching frowns. "...Our master is the only one who can change where the doors appear in your world," Atticus said.

"And he only did that as an apology for our initial lack of knowledge," Octavia added.

It wasn't hard for Hisako to look sad and pitiful when she was still soaked. The assistants' golden eyes seemed to water in sympathy, and they pulled away to converse in low tones. She had no issue using their affection against them, with as little patience as she had for the day, but she wouldn't be upset if they couldn't give them a shortcut. She knew the odds had been low to begin with.

"We don't know any spells to move the door," Octavia announced after pulling out of their conference.

"Could you at least lend us some raincoats or boots or umbrellas? Please?"

"We _are_ supposed to give her items to help on her journey," Atticus said pointedly, giving his sister a look.

"In exchange for a quest or favor done. We don't have any for her yet."

"I can pay!" She took out a handful of the gold coins from her backpack and offered it to them.

"That's not modern human currency, is it?" Octavia asked, peering down at the coins.

"No, it doesn't look to be. I'm sorry, dear Hisa-chan, but we can only take modern human currency."

She tried her best not to glare at them over the gold in her hand. "Are you saying you only take yen? What do you need Japanese yen for?"

"Well, maybe we could take these…"

"...But we don't know the current exchange rate."

She groaned and shoved the coins back into her bag. Unable to bite back all of her sarcasm, she asked, "Could you think of some sort of quest to give me in the meantime? Kill some hyenas? Cast ice magic? Discuss my measurements?"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew it had been a terrible idea. Eyes alight with curiosity and glee, they asked in unison, "Measurements?"

"No, absolutely not. Please forget I said anything. _Anything_ else as a quest, please."

"What do you mean by measurements?" Atticus continued, ignoring her plea. ...But at least it meant that they didn't seem to be aware of standard body measurements.

"Uhh…" _Think fast, Hisako. What are other sorts of common measurements?_ "The… width of my hand. See? How far it is from my pinky to my thumb."

Octavia gently took her hand in her own, turning it over with obvious curiosity. "How fascinating! The way humans measure and catalogue every part of their bodies is incredibly endearing. Such scientific minds!"

Naturally, Atticus took her other hand. "Are your hands considered the average for your size and age? Surely you must be above average!"

"I don't think most girls want to hear they're 'above average' in anything like size. And I don't know how I compare, anyway," Hisako said, carefully pulling out of their grasp. "But now you know something. Can we borrow umbrellas now?"

"Certainly! That makes an excellent starting point, and my brother and I shall draw up future quests! Granted, they should be more constructive for your journey, but this was terribly fun!" Octavia declared and pulled three large umbrellas from _somewhere_. Hisako didn't dwell on it.

"We should make more concerning human measurements!" Atticus agreed enthusiastically.

"Um, well, let's not, but we can discuss that at another time, when my friends aren't standing out in the pouring rain. Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it. Especially on such short notice." Surely their excitement about quests would come back to bite her in the butt later, but in the short term, she was happy. Hefting the umbrellas, she bowed out of the Velvet Room before they started wondering what else humans measured.

"No shortcut?" Yuri asked grimly.

"No shortcut. But umbrellas. Are my hands large?"

"Sometime, you'll have to let me in on what actually goes on in there."

It was a little easier going without rain constantly pouring down on them, but they were still wandering at random. She almost wished for a lemur, if only to spice things up. The statues in that area were nearly impossible to spot in the rain until they were almost upon them, so they were useless as markers, and despite all evidence to the contrary, Suzuka refused to believe that they showed the way, anyway.

They tried word games, debates about favorite teachers, art and baseball history, least favorite Irkalla monster, and they still exhausted things to talk about. The rain steadily continued in the meantime. They wondered about where all the water was going, how a thunderstorm could happen in such a small place, and where the water came from to begin with. Suzuka tried to play counselor for Yuri's problems with Mika, which didn't go over well—about as well as asking her what she'd do without Haruka next week.

Hisako wondered if it was her imagination, or if the lightning overhead coincided with Suzuka's annoyed retorts.

"We're going to have to figure out some way of telling how much time elapses down here. This can't be good for our sleep schedule," Yuri said with a groan.

"Would older styles of watches work? Nothing electronic in them," Suzuka said.

"Maybe. I don't have one."

"Me neither."

"I hate Irkalla."

"Me too."

A sudden peal of laughter cut across their conversation. They looked back at Hisako with confusion, but she shook her head. "That wasn't me!" It hadn't sounded anything like her. And it had come from their direction, not hers.

The laughter rang out again, maybe a little closer, but the constant rain made it harder to hear properly. They were passing the last of the broken statues, nearing the end area, but Hisako sincerely hoped that was just a coincidence.

They broke into the huge open space with the tall doors across from them, and she noticed three things at once. The first was that the walls were full of holes of varying size. The second was the incredibly fast blur of laughing motion that sped past. The third was that it was not, of course, a coincidence.

"What the hell was that?!" Suzuka shouted, nearly dropping her umbrella as they all jumped back.

The laughter echoed through the many holes in the far walls, carrying even in the din of the storm, though it seemed as if the thunder had stopped for the moment. Suzuka backed into the other two, looking rather pale.

"Okay, it seems as if a stronger creature appears at the end of every level, sort of as a replacement," Hisako began.

"Not that they're necessarily connected. And they don't come back once we defeat them, since the first area was empty," Yuri interrupted. She tried valiantly not to glare at him for it. She actually did when he had the nerve to shoot her an irritated look.

"We'll want to kill this one, in case we ever have to progress past it, because trust us, we don't want to fight this and then have to clear another level. It's not fun."

"Okay, but what _is_ it?" Suzuka asked. The laughing monster flew past again, disappearing into another hole nearer to them.

"...Uh, well, I'm not really sure. But don't look into its eyes."

"Don't believe anything it says," Yuri said flatly. "First, we're going to have to stop it. Can Inanna start plugging up some of the holes with ice? Enlil and Tiamat can try to snipe it."

"We're too tired to do _all_ of them."

"We have to try to slow it down _somehow_. Do you have any better ideas?"

"It's already laughing, so it should be capable of some sort of speech—"

"Fujihara, I will have Enlil launch you into it if you say we should try to talk to another monster."

"Uh, guys?" Suzuka piped up, but was ignored.

"Where did this animosity come from? It's sort of worked in the past!"

"You almost broke Enlil in the process and used yourself as bait! Sakuraba shouldn't have to go through either of those things!"

" _I_ did not break Enlil—"

"We should really break up the lover's spat now!" Suzuka tried again.

In unison, Yuri and Hisako turned to glare at her. "What!"

The monster had stopped directly in front of Suzuka and had been watching them eagerly, allowing them their first look at it. It was an extremely colorful snake, lime green and scarlet and cobalt, holding itself aloft on two massive, yellow wings. Upon noticing it had been caught, its mouth quirked up into something like a smile, and it let out a drawn-out, "Heeeeeeeee." Lightning flashed behind it, almost for emphasis.

"H-Hello," Hisako squeaked. Yuri smacked her with his umbrella and she hit him in the shin with her staff in retaliation.

"The one with nothing has found more friends with something," the winged snake said gleefully.

"That was rude!" Suzuka replied at once.

"Yet, was it untrue?"

"Yes! Because I have something, too!"

Hisako had to admit it was a pretty good lead for summoning Tiamat. Enlil and Inanna appeared on her heels, and all three Personas rushed the monster. It was faster than them, however, and by far. With a nervous laugh, it zipped into the nearest hole and vanished out of sight again.

"See, talking isn't so—"

"If you finish that sentence, I cannot be held responsible for what Enlil may or may not do."

"What's with you two and talking?" Suzuka asked as laughter echoed around them once more. "There was literally a giant monster staring us in the face and you were more keen on arguing. I didn't know Kikuchi _could_ argue with anyone other than Mika-chan."

"Well, we told you that we encountered another intelligent monster in the first level. We had, um, differing ideas on how to take it on."

"And _someone's_ idea almost cost us dearly," he said with a scowl.

" _My_ idea is what ultimately won."

"What was your idea?" Suzuka asked.

"It _could_ talk, so I figured we could talk to it. Try to reason with it, talk it down, sort of how I helped save Yuri-kun at first."

"No, first we both almost got killed by it."

"Do you _really_ want to go there?" Hisako asked archly. Suzuka already knew of some of her issues with her mother, so she wouldn't have any problem discussing what the monster had appeared as to her, as opposed to Yuri admitting to Mika feelings.

"How about you—"

"How about we both just drop it!" Suzuka exclaimed, getting bodily between them. Hisako and Yuri both reeled back from the suddenness of the move. "You," the redhead said, turning to Hisako first, "might want to admit that while talking to things is all well and good, let's not do it when these things are still in positions to try to kill or eat us. And if they start throwing insults at us, it's fair game to beat them into the ground. Okay?"

"O-Okay," she replied meekly.

"And you," she said, whirling around on Yuri, jabbing her finger up at his face. "Don't be so critical! Talking is a good thing, and who _else_ are we supposed to ask about things, huh? The rhyming creepy lady and the lion dude don't like us, the people in the blue door only talk to Hisako-chan, and from what I can remember, talking helped when I had horns."

"Alright then," he replied and folded his arms. "New team rule: only talk to monsters when they're not in a position to attack us. With the addition that if someone doesn't want to talk about it, we _don't_ talk about it."

"Progress!" Suzuka said and made the other two shake hands. It was a silly gesture, for an even sillier argument, but at least she had defused it for them. Hisako didn't _like_ arguing with him, especially during admittedly dangerous fights, and it had likely been petty of her to continue pushing for it.

"Right, now we have that thing to deal with." The three of them looked up at the winged monster, who had, once again, stopped to listen in on their conversation. It let out a breathy giggle at being caught.

"Very chatty, aren't we?" it asked. Hisako thought it was very big of Yuri not to make a remark about that.

"Wanna join in?" Suzuka challenged.

"Like you? I'm no follower, no mediator of arguments. This I leave to you. Then you may have _something_."

"Then what are you?"

"The new arbiter and master of this field, the titles you so unwillingly cast out into this lifeless void."

"Unwillingly?" Suzuka echoed.

The monstrous snake flicked out its tongue with a scaly imitation of a smile. "The one who had nothing would not give up power so easily. Someone had to drag you from this place and separate you from the last bit of power you had ever known."

"I'm not liking this repeated theme of having nothing, you know," she said and sounded legitimately annoyed with it for the first time. Thunder boomed in the background. "I have plenty."

"Yet not as much as others," it answered her with another laugh.

"I'll have you know I have plenty of things! Like my friends and Tiamat!" Suzuka declared, grabbing Hisako and Yuri in fierce half-hugs with each arm. Tiamat reared back behind her and flared up her mane.

"Well… I suppose someone had to _save_ you. It was not as if you could do anything for yourself."

Something had struck Hisako as odd for most of the time it had spoke, but she had stayed quiet out of a mixture of letting Suzuka deal with it (at least at first) and allowing Yuri to think her method didn't work. But when the monster raised its eyes to look squarely at Tiamat, she realized what had sounded so off. "You can see them!" she all but shrieked. Inanna started at the sound of her voice, but the monster, with a screeching laugh, zoomed across the empty space and into a far hole in the wall. Inanna sullenly drooped again.

"It can see them," Yuri repeated with clear realization. He didn't need any further clarification and instead looked at Hisako over Suzuka's head. "It can see our Personas. It knows we're not them. _Why_ that thing, though?"

"I think yours—the first one could, too! Remember, we spent most of the fight hiding behind that ice, and at the beginning, it was talking to _us_ while it pretended to—uh, well, I think these monsters can see us as well as our Personas!" Hisako said excitedly.

"Why them? What makes them different from Nergal or anyone?" Suzuka asked, and that sucked most of the wind out of her sails. More laughter rang out from across the room over the sound of the rain.

"That… I don't know. I'll ask Octavia and Atticus about it, but I don't know right now. No guesses, either."

"Well, it's still a good thing to realize, right?"

"I think so. It's not hurting us to know," Yuri said diplomatically. "So maybe we can use this in the future, somehow. All I can think of right now is using us as distractions, and that's a terrible idea." He met Hisako's gaze over their classmate's head again, giving her a very pointed look.

"It's not too terrible of an idea," she muttered, catching on. "It's sort of worked in the past…"

"It was a bad idea and we're not doing it again," he maintained.

"What about when it's not putting us in any danger? Talking can be used in different kinds of situations."

"And when exactly would that sort of situation spring up?"

"When we know there's a very fast monster who's only drawn out by us arguing."

"I suppose that would be an ideal situation." In unison, they turned with matching smiles to find the winged snake yet again eavesdropping. It tittered and twisted coyly in the air at being caught by their trap.

That time, however, Hisako had been mentally prodding Inanna out away from them. Yuri had been doing the same, since Enlil had backed away, and so the monster was caught between the kids and two Personas. Tiamat's stormcloud rumbled smugly from over their heads. "How clever for someone who is afraid to think for herself," it remarked and shot straight up into the air. A bolt of lightning and a shard of ice flew after it, and as it darted back down to dodge, Enlil was waiting.

With a sweep of his brush, the cloaked Persona knocked the monster back with a blast of wind, straight into Inanna. She pinned it by its wings, pointed ice through each shoulder, and the other two Personas came to hover over it with wide grins.

"It's very rude," Suzuka mumbled as the kids gathered around, squeezing in beside their Personas.

"Would you like to ask it anything?" Hisako asked gently.

"Didn't you want to ask it why it sees us and our Personas?"

"We will, but do _you_ want to talk to it at all? Tell it anything?"

"Why?"

"Well, because it's… yours?"

"No it's not," Suzuka replied, confused. "I already have a Persona. Tiamat?" The giant slithered closer, allowing her to pat the jawbone on her mask.

"I'm not saying it's a Persona. These are clearly monsters! But this one was found in your area, so…"

Yuri leaned down and said quietly, though loud enough for Hisako to hear over the storm, "You can ignore her if you'd like, when she gets like this. It makes things a little easier."

"Don't disparage the talkative one. It's not her fault that the one with nothing is not clever enough to draw conclusions. Though it is surprising to hear that another with such great gifts cannot see for himself what is slapping him in the face," the monster purred, coiling its tail up around Enlil's leg. Enlil stomped it down with a _crunch_. The serpent didn't flinch.

"What are you talking about?" Suzuka asked.

"This area was once ruled by another, the very same one who summoned me here with her forced absence. Something well-suited must fill the void, isn't that right?"

So they were related. Being right didn't feel very nice when she saw the expressions her classmates wore; Yuri looked pale, ill even, and Suzuka looked about ready to cry. The monster tittered happily at their faces. Before Hisako could say anything, Inanna drove the ice spikes deeper into its wings. The snake still didn't bat an eye, but it did cut its laughter short.

"You're here because I was here? You—You laugh at me and then _like_ it when my friends argue with each other. You're saying you're like me?" Suzuka demanded with an increasingly shaky voice. Thunder rolled across the end of her question.

"That's not what it was saying," Yuri told her at once. "Enlil, shut that thing up."

"No, I want to hear what it has to say!"

Hisako, about to lead Suzuka away while their Personas took care of the monster, backed off. Yuri crossed his arms again and scowled. "It just wants to upset you with its words. You don't owe it anything. We can just kill it now and leave."

"This is _my_ monster and I want to hear it out," Suzuka announced and sat down right by its head. The monster undeniably raised a scaled brow at her. "So, get on with it. Start talking, or we start beating. Useful stuff now. Why can you see us _and_ our Personas?"

The snake turned from her. "I have nothing further to say."

"What? Now you're playing dumb?!"

"You are not my master any more than you are the master of the chaotic ocean. And why is it you suddenly think that someone ought to listen to you now?"

"Suzuka-chan, it's just baiting you. It knows we were interested so it wants to bother you. Let's just get rid of it and go," Hisako said carefully, but Suzuka shook her head mulishly. "I can just ask someone else about it later. I'm sure the twins can tell me what's going on." _Please let them have more answers about this_.

"It should listen to me because it's mine and make all of this dumb talking worthwhile by giving us information. That's important, isn't it? Why it can see us and our Personas, and no one else can?"

"Yes, it is, but you—"

"So desperate for something to give," the snake scoffed. "Something of your own, something only you can offer. Something to support them with as they forge on ahead, without you. Again."

Lightning flashed again, but that time, it was not from the stormclouds above, but from the monster below. The ice sizzled as it melted, and with a cackle as they all reeled back, it zipped into the nearest hole in the wall. Hisako was thankful for the umbrella's rubber handle, although she felt singed all the same from the proximity of it.

Soon, and without any prompting, the monster came out on its own. It flew by, zapping Enlil, and Suzuka threw her painting knife after it in vain. It reappeared not a minute later, aiming for Hisako and Suzuka that time, and she could have dealt with _not_ being electrocuted again. Laughing even more loudly, the monster took great pleasure in aiming specifically for them instead of their Personas after that.

"Still want to play therapist with it?" Yuri complained as they hunkered down behind their umbrellas.

"What can I do for you to forgive me for trying to get information?" Hisako demanded, exasperated by his relentless pursuit of the subject.

"I have no problem getting information. I have a problem with you pushing _us_ to get that information!"

"Let's stop having this same damned argument!" Suzuka shouted over a particularly loud mix of laughter and thunder. Yuri flinched at the noise.

"...I don't mean to push anyone," Hisako mumbled.

"You just don't understand what it's like," Yuri admitted with a sigh. "Some part of me knows that. But the rest of me just gets so… I don't know, really mad that you can't seem to grasp that concept."

"Understand what _what's_ like?"

"Having your issues thrown in your face by someone who only sees one side of them? It gets old pretty fast."

"...Maybe if we talked about it—"

"That's it! You two, talk or argue about your feelings or whatever! I'm going to go kill a monster!" Suzuka shouted and vaulted over their umbrella shield. Both of them scrambled out into the pouring rain after her, ducking under the lightning that immediately forked their way.

"Inanna, try to pin it again!"

"Enlil, slow it down!"

It was a combination of the two that finally allowed Tiamat to catch the other serpent: in trying to dodge their attacks, it flew right into Tiamat's cloud, disguised in the storm. She caught it in her teeth and ripped into its wings with her claws. Suzuka cheered and pumped her fists below. "Yeah, shred it! Take care of that sucker!" The monster hit the ground, golden wings torn to nothing.

Despite the fact that it was grounded, it was still hard to kill. Hisako wasn't sure if it was unusually hardy or simply powerful. She stood back and let the Personas attack until it was oozing black stuff like blood, but she did start forward when Suzuka ran at it with her painting knife held aloft like she was auditioning for a role in a slasher film.

"Just let her do it," Yuri said, catching Hisako by the arm. The rain slowly started to let up as Suzuka stabbed and cut her way into the dying monster.

"That can't be healthy for her."

"I don't mean to be rude—" which meant he was likely about to be, "—but do you actually have some sort of background in therapy or do you just get incredibly nosy when Inanna's out?" Yep, he was.

"I don't know anything about Inanna's input, but I've dealt with therapists before. Talking about stuff like this helps. Talking _instead_ of killing things."

"It's cathartic." Yuri sat down as the rain stuttered to a stop. After a beat, she sat down beside him. Suzuka collapsed beside Tiamat in the dissipating mist of a destroyed enemy.

"I'm trying. Not to be pushy, or invasive. I just… I see all of these problems, and I think I know how to fix them, and I just can't quite get there. And people get angry when I try."

"I can't speak for Sakuraba, but I get annoyed because Mika does the same thing." It was a surprising confession, especially so casually. Yuri shrugged at her shocked look. "I've come to expect it from her, or had in the past, because she just kept _pushing_. She forced information out. I hate it."

"I'm sorry. ...It's really just me and my father, and we've been through a lot together. I've gotten really used to talking things out."

"So we come from different points of view. That's fine, I guess. But _stop_ making your way the only way to go. Sometimes I just _don't_ want to talk about things. Everyone's like that. You have things you don't like to talk about, right?"

She drew her knees up to her chest. "Right. Sorry. I'll try to stop from now on." The black mist from the snake was gone, and the clouds above them were almost gone, too. Suzuka was sprawled on her back where it had been, Tiamat hovering over her.

Tiamat suddenly flickered.

It was brief, and she stayed there, but Hisako leapt to her feet. Suzuka had sat bolt upright, too, looking alarmed with blood running down her chin from her nose. "I didn't do it!" the redhead exclaimed as Hisako and Yuri hurried over.

"What didn't you do?" he asked.

"I didn't—I _don't_ like it when you guys argue, right? And I don't have nothing, and I hate arguments, and yeah, I want to be helpful, but I can do stuff on my own, too—you know that, right?" Suzuka asked desperately. She swayed on the spot and Tiamat edged closer.

"No, of course you don't. We know that," Hisako said, catching her around the shoulders to help keep her upright.

"Hold still." Yuri helped guide Enlil's paintbrush over her face, but her nose still bled. With another coat of mint green, it still didn't stop, although Suzuka was spitting out a nasty mixture of the two by then. "Why isn't it—?"

"It'll be fine. Suzuka-chan, we're done arguing now. You didn't have to kill that on your own, but you did it, and that's okay, too. We're a _team_ , and that means doing stuff together. New team rule. No killing boss-level monsters alone, even if we have it pinned or injured or anything."

"Agreed. I guess just… Here, tilt your head back and pinch the bridge of your nose. You should stop feeling dizzy soon."

Suzuka did as she was told, although with her free hand, she reached over and touched Enlil's leg. Yuri froze up, rocking on his heels, and then pitched back against his Persona. Without a word, he turned around as fast as he was able to. Hisako thought he was holding his stomach, but no, his hands were lower. She modestly turned her back to him fully and gave Suzuka a glare.

Suzuka hardly looked remorseful. Instead, she laughed, sounding a _little_ too much like the winged snake, and said, "We could've been hanging out with Mathias instead of all this. Had to cheer myself up somehow."

"Another new team rule: we actually _follow_ the team rules."

"Agreed," Yuri said weakly.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Sensitive


	11. Patra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which painful dreams are had and an exchange student leaves.

Yuri understandably kept a distance from Suzuka after her prod at his Persona. Enlil had disappeared entirely. None of them talked about it, and Hisako liked to imagine he was grateful for that, although it would probably take some time for him to feel truly at ease around Suzuka again.

"So, why are all these holes here? I don't remember any."

"I'm not sure. They certainly weren't here when we found you," Hisako replied.

"Where do they lead?"

"It looks like different parts of the labyrinth," Yuri called as he casually stepped through one of the nearer holes. Suzuka bounced past him to investigate other ones, and Hisako inwardly sighed at how he flinched back when she neared him. Suzuka either didn't notice or pretended not to.

_So the smart monsters at the end of the levels act as replacements, but they don't reappear or get replaced after they're gone. And they can see us as well as our Personas. And touching someone else's Persona…_ She wasn't fully sure. Some sort of horrifically embarrassing physical arousal, but there had been those moments prior when she had watched her friends act like ragdolls. _So the other effect is secondary? Or is it some sort of delay?_

She wasn't as exhausted from the fight or exploring as she'd been in the past, but the emotional fallout almost seemed to be worse. Hisako was content to let the other two look through the various holes. At least it was two until Yuri saw that Hisako was still seated on the ground, watching them. He joined her and they watched Suzuka.

"Lazy butts!" the short girl shouted, but there was no venom in her tone.

"It's _her_ area, she can explore it," Yuri grumbled and leaned back on his arms. Hisako figured he really, honestly didn't understand how hypocritical he was being; he was so stubborn about rejecting the first level as his own, and was so quick to pin the second one on Suzuka. But that could be a discussion for another day. She didn't want to break their fragile peace. "I'm just glad that storm is over in here…"

"Yeah, it's over," she said absently. Two floors cleared out of any big threats. Progress. _So we can ask Ereshkigal and Nergal about Irkalla itself and some about Dumuzi and his sister. I can ask the twins and Igor about Personas. But there's too much overlap where no one has answers._

Suzuka, seemingly endlessly energetic, flitted from hole to hole, examining ones that could easily fit Tiamat and peering through ones barely the size of her head. Hisako didn't waste time wondering why the winged snake had created holes that small; it was dead and just so long as nothing else jumped out at them, she was content to continue thinking ahead.

_Our Personas are manifestations of our psyches, but seem to be representing someone else according to the deities. Is it reincarnation?_ She didn't particularly feel like a reincarnated goddess. Hisako pursed her lips and hummed to herself. _If we could figure out some way to communicate with our Personas, I wonder how many questions they'd be able to answer for us?_

"I had a crush on Mika," Yuri blurted out without warning.

Hisako, properly jarred out of her thoughts, turned to him slowly with nothing short of utter amazement. She had almost forgotten how bad he was with lulls in conversation, but _that_ took the cake on his random nervous exclamations. "...Seriously?"

"I was in grade school," he groaned with very real regret in his voice. "Is there any chance we can change subjects as we continue to _not_ leave me in awkward silences?"

"Do you not like the silence, or can you not keep a secret?"

"...Both."

"I'm going to ask you about Mika-chan, you realize."

"I've realized," he said miserably. "And it's my own fault. I know that. I just can't stop thinking about her lately since we've been talking so much…"

Hisako _still_ didn't know if Haruka or Suzuka was right about them. Did that count as a confession, or was that something related to their vague falling out in the past? "Um, do you _want_ to talk about it?"

"I'd like to talk about _something_. Something that isn't what Sakuraba just did, or smartass monsters, or Mika."

"...She's one of my other social links, just like you. I still don't know what they're here for, and I'm not sure about any connections, but it might mean she's in the running for getting a Persona at some point. Could you handle her joining the team?"

"...We used to be best friends. We probably _could_ work together pretty well if we'd stop with the pointless sniping. This is all, uh, unrelated to the crush I had. Just so you're aware," Yuri said quickly, cheeks turning pink.

"I'm aware now. How did you know it was a crush? Did you feel butterflies on your stomach, or was it hard to talk to her, or what?"

It was his turn to stare at her incredulously. "Please tell me you're not asking me for love advice in a really roundabout way."

And it was then her turn to flush. "Well, you didn't want to talk about her anymore…"

Yuri groaned again and flopped onto his back in defeat. "I don't know what conversation is worse. Everything's just a landmine with you."

"That's a little mean. You brought it up, too, in case you forgot."

"No, that's not what I meant, sorry," he replied with a frown up at the ceiling. "I mean, I don't usually get talkative with a lot of people. Not with Mika, not anymore, and lately I've been sweating bullets just trying not to blurt out anything about Personas with Shunya-senpai, but with you, it's everything. Except Personas. So I basically have all of my bases covered with embarrassing topics to talk about."

Hisako hadn't thought about him doing it to other people regularly, or in the past. Although, come to think of it… Mika pushed for information a lot, evidently, and Yuri nervously said things with enough awkward silences. No wonder he had issues with talking.

"At least you were Mika-chan's best friend for awhile, while you liked her?" He nodded. "I can't even look Mathias-san in the eye without mentally freaking out about it. I'm not entirely sure how I'll handle stuff with Suzuka-chan now, either."

"I'm still not ready for the girl drama," Yuri announced in a deadpan.

"Also sort of rude of you to say," Hisako replied shortly.

"Give me a couple more days to adjust. Let's talk about _anything_ else in the meantime, promise. Anything but crushes."

It was sorely tempting to dance around crushes and ask him to reveal how he and Mika got so bad with one another, but she didn't want to force him. That'd be a doubly bad idea now that she had a bit more context. So, instead, in the most casual voice she could manage, she asked, "What's it like having a best friend?"

He raised his head far enough from the floor to give her another look of disbelief. "I thought girls were masters of friendship."

"Social links don't count."

"Before you moved here?"

"I was, ah, quiet? That's a good word for it. I mostly studied and worked in my spare time. I had friends," she hastened to add, "but nothing like Suzuka and Haruka. I'm used to being more on my own. So a lot of this is new to me."

She was incredibly grateful that he didn't poke any fun at that admission. Yuri shrugged from his position on the floor. "I guess… You can talk to that person about anything, but at the same time, you already know what not to talk about and what you should talk about. You feel comfortable sitting in silence together. You know all sorts of dumb things about them and they know the same about you. In some cases, they're the person you prioritize above others, even if it's not the nicest thing to do."

"Alright, thank you." The words were hardly out of her mouth before the flash of light startled her. Yuri didn't react until the card floated down between them. "Didn't you see that?"

"No," he said, just as confused as she was; the last time she had gotten a rank up in Irkalla, he had seen it, too. He plucked it out of the air, so it was still tangible for him. "So… why did you get it this time?"

"I'm not sure what causes them to appear." She could guess, but she had trouble forming the words to explain it. Hisako grinned and leaned over him. "Maybe it means we should talk about Mika-chan more."

"Maybe it means—"

"Holy hell guys, you have to come see this!" Suzuka's shriek cut across their conversation, making both of them jump. Yuri narrowly avoided banging his head against Hisako's. Chuckling as he reddened and backed away, the blonde looked over to their other teammate, who was standing in one of the larger holes, waving her arms at them. "Come here, come here! Quick!"

Yuri grumbled all the way and made a point of standing several feet back, but as they reached the hole, Hisako could find nothing strange or exciting about it. Suzuka leapt through it in one clean shot and disappeared around the corner. "Wait, Suzuka-chan! We shouldn't be splitting up!" Hisako followed her through, but soon found why she'd been shouting.

Just down the hallway, beyond a couple of branching paths, Suzuka stood in front of a half-melted wall of ice.

"That's… my ice. Inanna's."

"We're back there?"

"Yeah! This is back near the beginning!" Suzuka said, vibrating with elation at this discovery. "We have a _shortcut_!"

That put everyone in far better spirits. They bypassed almost all of the second level, arriving at the staircase leading back up in record time, and didn't run into a single monster. None of them mentioned the possibility that it might not be there, if they ever returned. A large part of Hisako hoped they never would. A smaller, darker part hoped that they could, just to continue learning and exercising their power over the area.

Without a storm to erode the ice away, Hisako created another ice rink in the first level. Large parts of her original paths were still there. Evidently, most would-be enemies didn't care about how they changed Irkalla after they were out of sight. Even tired as they were, skating was the faster option for getting out of there, and she was pleased to see that Yuri was improving. Suzuka had already been stellar at it. (That made Hisako wonder if she was skilled in any other sporty things.)

Nergal was gone when they reached the end of the twisting corridors, and with no one to supervise them, they made a sheet of ice across that area, too. Suzuka tried to show off, attempting jumps and backwards skating, while Hisako in turn tried to urge Yuri into a sprint. It was a clear, straight shot, and the best chance to see how well he could skate if given the chance. He still ended up falling on his butt more than once. Then, they were out.

Outside again, Hisako was only mildly surprised to get ambushed by Haruka. "You were gone for so long!" she wailed, throwing herself at the first two available. It probably wasn't her plan for it to be Suzuka and Yuri, but after pulling back a moment to process hugging him, she graciously rolled with it.

"So long?" Hisako repeated in alarm.

"She's joking," Mika said flatly, arms crossed. "It was the same as ever, you were only gone long enough to step down into there."

"My jokes are hilarious and I should be appreciated for them," Haruka said with a pout.

"Can these jokes involve less heart attacks and embracing?" Yuri asked, clearly unsure as to how to pry her off of him. Suzuka wiggled in between them, but Haruka only tightened the hug, sandwiching her. Haruka was nearly as tall as Yuri, and seeing Suzuka between the two tallest only reinforced the height difference. She laughed into Yuri's chest as he struggled against Haruka's grip. "Definitely less embracing!"

"Oh, suck it up. We're teammates regardless of the awkward feelings, and I'll be leaving—mmph!"

"No talking about that!" Suzuka commanded. Freeing one arm out from her prison, she gestured for the other two girls. "Group hug instead!"

"I didn't sign up for this," Yuri said with mounting panic.

"I'm fine over here," Hisako said, edging away from the flailing limb. Mika nodded her agreement.

"Get over here!" Haruka let go of Yuri in order to snag the brunette, but he made his escape at that point. Unfortunately for him, he ducked towards Hisako, just as Suzuka managed to grab her, so they more or less ended up squished against each other anyway. Hisako found herself stuck between his shoulder, Haruka's pigtails, and was fairly certain Suzuka was staring down her dress' neckline.

"New team rule?" Yuri said weakly.

"Oh, shut up," Suzuka replied, voice fond. "Just be glad you're touching all this lady skin."

"I'm out of here," Mika said at once.

"Guys please, I'm trying to have a moment," Haruka growled. "Because I'm leaving this—"

"Hisako-chan has a crush on the exchange student and if you touch someone else's Persona you get a boner!" Suzuka shouted in order to prevent her friend from saying the dreaded words.

"Can _anyone_ here keep a secret?!" Hisako cried. She felt Yuri bury his face in her hair with a groan.

"I'm going to miss these team bonding moments. Look at all of this camaraderie. Listen to the trust levels plummeting as we speak," Haruka said with a wistful sigh.

"What sort of perverted things are going on down there?!" Mika demanded in a shrill voice. "Yuri Kikuchi, _what_ have you been doing with these girls?!"

"Oh my god, let's just shut up about this right now. And for your information, it was Sakuraba who started it both times—"

" _Both_ times?!"

"I'd like to leave the group hug now," Hisako said flatly, ignoring how Suzuka was grinning in triumph at the change of subject. Haruka finally released her hold, prompting the redhead to do the same, and Yuri and Mika immediately stalked off in separate directions. At least there was some part of their team dynamic that wouldn't change with Haruka's absence.

-.-.-

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

…

"My dear guest, I apologize for once again spiriting you away from your normal dreams," Igor said, sounding especially remorseless. Hisako looked down at her dream self. At least she wasn't in her pajamas. Octavia and Atticus stood stiffly on each side of him, but the surprising part—because she was entirely too used to the Velvet Room and dreams and its odd inhabitants—was a newcomer. A large, bright blue butterfly was perched on the table between them, slowly waving its wings.

"Is something the matter?" Hisako asked, eyes on the butterfly. It fluttered its wings at her and turned around to face Igor.

"We just wish to see your Persona for ourselves."

She looked up at him with a frown. "I've tried summoning Inanna here before. It doesn't work. I don't know what's wrong, but it's not a new thing."

"That's why we're not asking _you_ to summon her," said Igor mildly.

Without warning, Octavia and Atticus placed one hand on either her shoulders, their other hands on her wrists, pinning her arms to the chair. She felt the first sharp stab of fear when she realized they wouldn't budge. "Wh-What are you doing?" she asked in a strained voice. It was a dream, wasn't it? They couldn't _do_ anything to her in a dream, right?

"Please, try to relax. This will not harm you physically," the man told her, and with a wave of his hand, the butterfly flitted over to her. It landed on the part of her hair, then crawled down her face. She wasn't particularly afraid of insects, but she was afraid of being restrained, and having something crawl over her face wasn't improving anything. The butterfly made its way down to her chest. As she thought about blowing on it to try to rid herself of it, it stuck its needle-like mouth into her.

For a brief moment, it was just a prick of pain. Startling, but not terrible. But then, it must have reached its goal, for she felt Inanna's presence hit her like a ton of bricks. She was suddenly back, pressing in on her brain from all sides, weighing on her heart like stone. She jerked against the pair holding her down. Hisako felt a pulling in her chest, and Inanna's feelings coalesced into something she could finally identify—terror. Nothing but terror and panic.

Then the butterfly tried to move Inanna.

Hisako choked on her first scream, horrified to find blood in her mouth, running from her nose and coming up from her lungs. Worse was the pain. It was like the first time Inanna appeared, but instead of clawing her way out of her ribcage, she was digging her nails _in_. Her spine arched and she fought against the assistants, but their grip was iron on her. She swore she could feel her Persona pulling on everything she could get her hands on, fighting tooth and nail to stay inside, terror seeping out of every desperate grab for safety. Hisako could hardly breathe for all of blood and bile in her throat. She wasn't sure if she was still screaming, or if it was Inanna in her brain.

With her customary flash and drop in temperature, the Persona appeared before them. Hisako sagged in her chair and the twins released her, kneeling down beside her, murmuring apologies she didn't care to hear. She just tried to concentrate on breathing. Her mouth tasted like copper, her face was wet from tears and blood, and her throat was raw. Inanna was giving off so much fear that it made her physically sick. She twisted in her chair and heaved, but nothing came up except bloody spittle. Octavia had the gall to offer her a handkerchief.

"Interesting," Igor said.

Hisako turned to glower at him. "You just _ripped_ my Persona out of me," she said hoarsely. She had to look down to make sure there weren't actual gouges on her chest. The butterfly was nowhere to be seen.

"It was necessary," Atticus said, putting a hand on hers. She turned her glare on him and he immediately took it back.

"We had to look her over. We need to make sure you're fine," Octavia added.

"You can't summon her yourself in here, and we didn't know what else to do."

"We are _sorry_. But we did wait until you were in a dream so you wouldn't actually come to any harm."

"This feels like plenty of harm," Hisako snapped. Inanna was still cowering before her, looking so unlike her usual self. Igor still sat calmly in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his long nose. "Well… You have her. Look her over. But _don't_ touch her."

"We would never touch another's Persona," Atticus said, sounding shocked she'd even say that. Hisako rolled her eyes. She couldn't even be surprised.

"Master, will you inspect her?" Octavia asked softly.

Igor's eyebrows rose nearly imperceptibly. "...I will," he said after a pause.

Neither of the pale-haired twins left her side as their master stood up, circled around his desk, and surveyed the giant warrior before them. Hisako felt only the tiniest bit less angry at them for it. "You should have warned me, or _asked_ me," she said sourly.

"We had to do it," Octavia replied and offered her handkerchief again. That time, Hisako took it but made sure to maintain a scowl. "We had to make sure you had a Persona."

" _What_ do you think I've been using this entire time?! You said so yourself I had a Persona!" Hisako replied incredulously. _That_ was why she just had to have Inanna forcibly pulled from her?

"We had to be absolutely certain you were not utilizing some sort of Shadow, or half-formed Persona," Igor replied. "Accidents in Persona creation can happen, if very rarely. Since you could not summon her in the Velvet Room, we had feared the worst. But rest assured, dear guest, this is very much a Persona."

"Well _thank_ you for that," Hisako replied sarcastically. The pain had faded, abnormally quickly, likely because it was a dream—but the constant, high-level terror from Inanna wasn't lessening. It made her feel anxious and physically agitated, and in some part of her mind, she was beginning to realize that her Persona was deathly afraid of the Velvet Room.

"It does not explain the missing Wild Card, however," Igor replied without acknowledging her sarcasm. He turned to look at the blue butterfly, which had returned to his desk at some point.

"Or her Persona's refusal to appear here," Atticus added unhelpfully.

"She wasn't refusing, she just wasn't _there_ ," Hisako grumbled. "I can feel her normally, in Irkalla. I'm pretty sure I can even feel her in the real world, too, in some really tiny way. I don't know. But not here."

"This place is welcoming to Personas, strong or weak," Octavia said. "And yours is certainly strong. She should not have felt threatened or found it difficult to appear here at your summons."

"Threatened? Is that what you think she is?" She pointed at her Persona, who was still crouched low, arms wrapped around herself, attempting to use her violet hair as a shield for her face. "She is _scared_ of you, and scared of this place. This is the most afraid I have ever seen her!"

The room was silent as her words sunk in. Igor's face remained impassive, but the twins slowly tightened their hands over Hisako's.

"...Why is she afraid of you?" she asked and Inanna impossibly curled into herself further.

"I cannot be certain, but I hypothesize that it's tied to why she refused to appear prior to this," Igor said. He circled around the Persona once more, chin in hand. "The missing Wild Card, the resulting unnecessary development of social links, and her shyness here despite being a true Persona… Very curious."

"Don't forget her unexplained boost in power," Octavia added.

"It could be possible yet that the social links are somehow feeding into her strength directly," Atticus responded, leaning forward to better look at his sister.

She leaned forward as well with a thoughtful furrow of her brow. "But we have noted that that does not appear to be the case thus far."

"But it _could_ be possible in some way we have not thought of yet. What other explanation could there be?"

"All preliminary findings point to the opposite—"

"Octavia, Atticus! Please do not bicker or theorize unnecessarily in our dear guest's presence," Igor declared. They shut up at once.

"...I don't mind it," Hisako ventured, "I like hearing theories. I want to know what's going on, especially if it's directly related to Inanna or me. And a lot of this could have been avoided if you _had_."

Igor glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his chin still cupped in his gloved hand. After a moment, he smiled. "I must apologize. You are, naturally, correct. The Velvet Room's purpose is to serve our honored guests on their journeys to the best of our abilities, regardless of whatever curiosities they may show us. We have been blinded by our own concerns, and for that, I apologize once more."

"I like the initiative. You can keep searching for answers you want," Hisako replied, wary of his tone. He sounded perfectly courteous and even contrite, but she didn't want him stopping because of some sort of loophole (or spite). Or perhaps he was trying to reign his assistants back in once more? Quickly, she also said, "And I _do_ like hearing the theories you're coming up with. Even if they may seem silly to you or anyone else. At least they're trying."

"Sister, I do believe dear Hisa-chan is attempting to defend us," Atticus said with wonder in his tone. Hisako could already tell it had been a bad idea.

"From our master, no less. That's very protective for a human, isn't it?" Octavia answered.

"Is this a side-effect of a social link? I must admit, I have been feeling rather protective myself lately…" He let go of her hand to look down at his own, as if shocked by its behavior. While she sincerely hoped he was being serious, she couldn't help but feel like she was being made fun of, if only a little.

"Of whom?" his sister asked.

_Please not_ —

"Every time I see you place your hands on dear Hisa-chan, I don't wish to share like we normally do," Atticus said, cutting off her thought before she could begin to pray otherwise.

"I don't believe that's protective instincts, but rather something akin to jealousy. How remarkably petty of you, brother."

It would have been perfectly academic and _almost_ bearable if Octavia, as she was speaking, had not slowly leaned in towards Hisako to touch as much of her body as possible. The platinum-haired girl wrapped both arms around Hisako's shoulders, set her chin on top of her head, and continued to stare at her brother with innocent, wide eyes.

"Now who's the petty one, sister?" Atticus asked with a thin smile. With as much care as he'd give to handling fine china, he began wedging himself in between his twin and Hisako. She was pretty sure half of his finger joints weren't supposed to bend that way as he wormed his way in. "These human emotions are so ugly, it's unbecoming of such a remarkable woman as yourself. You should stop."

"I think you should _both_ stop," Hisako said in a deadpan. They drew back in surprise, like they hadn't just been waging war over her. A war that she had begun to notice, but had hoped was her imagination. She was sincerely glad to have them back on her side, and apparently so loyal, but they were becoming more physically affectionate at an alarming rate. "This is how this started, remember? I want you to _ask_ before doing things. Pulling Inanna out of me, hugging me, and thinking strange things about me or her. I want to know what you're thinking, but also what you're going to be doing. Especially to me."

"I am going to cuddle you now," Atticus said with such weight that she almost laughed.

"I think not."

" _I_ am going to cuddle you—" Octavia started but Hisako shook her head.

"Announcing yourself is not the same as asking. I'm really not comfortable with a lot of touching, so please remember that in the future."

"Octavia, Atticus, you heard our esteemed guest. Do respect her wishes," Igor chimed in pointedly. They let go of her so fast she half-wondered if they had teleported. Hisako gave the master of the Velvet Room a look, and he cracked an unamused smile. "I know they can be overeager, but they are a social link of yours, and they _are_ striving to aid you in whatever way possible. I believe that includes learning more about humans and humanity along the way."

"Yes!" they chorused, still standing at attention on either side of her.

"But above all else, they must respect the rules of the contract. This means only aiding in your quest, not influencing it."

"What contract?" Hisako asked, tilting her head. That was the first she'd heard.

The room froze. Inanna blinked out and she felt a brief tingle at the base of her skull before all feelings of her Persona vanished, too. Slowly, Igor turned to stare at her with his smile still stuck on his face. "...Your contract that we ask you to sign once we have confirmed that you have a Persona and the Wild Card, dear guest. The contract stating that you choose your fate of your own free will."

"The… contract I never received?" Was she supposed to have gotten it in the mail? She wasn't sure they knew how human mail systems worked.

In unison, the twins swung away from her. Atticus wrung his hands and Octavia tugged on the ends of her hair, both of them muttering under their breath. Igor swayed on his feet, caught himself, and managed to make it back to his desk before sinking into the chair.

"...Everything about this journey has been highly irregular and inconsistent. The Velvet Room and its staff have not demonstrated our usual competence nor knowledge to you, and for that I apologize yet again, dear guest." Igor pinched the bridge of his long nose and waved with his free hand. A sheet of paper and a blue quill floated out from his desk and over to Hisako. "Please, just sign the contract."

"But she doesn't have the Wild Card," Octavia whispered, hardly audible.

"She is clearly destined for great things, regardless of that fact. Perhaps it is tied to it. This is my own fault, Octavia, so do not fret. In my shock at her lack of Wild Card, I became sidetracked. This was a grave oversight, but it is nothing that will harm her future journey, nor our help in it."

"This is nice and cryptic, but what is this contract exactly?" Hisako asked, quill poised over the signature line on the bottom. Most of the paper was handwritten in cursive, but it wasn't English (not that she would've been able to read that reliably anyway) and definitely wasn't Japanese. There was only one place to sign and no fine print.

"It simply states that you choose your fate of your own free will and thus take responsibility for it," he repeated wearily.

"It means you acknowledge that your actions will have consequences," Atticus added at her elbow. He looked equal parts wanting to be helpful and still skittish at whatever mistake had just been made. She really didn't understand needing a contract, or the ramifications of receiving it late, but if it meant they'd continue helping her, how bad could it be?

She trusted them. Maybe not as much as she could, considering what they had just done to Inanna, but enough to know they wouldn't screw her over with a terrible contract.

Hisako paused, hoping that would signify a social link rank up. Nothing came. She sighed and signed her name at the bottom; so much for thinking she had figured out what caused them.

The paper rolled itself up and it and the quill floated back over to the desk. Igor didn't look it over before storing it in the top drawer. "Without the Wild Card in your possession, there is still not much we can do for you in the way of our usual services, but my master and I will continue to look into the matter. Thank you for your understanding in all of this, dear guest."

"No problem. Just—ask permission before doing stuff like this again. I care less about whether or not it will hurt and more about _knowing_ , okay?" she reminded.

"Of course. We shall now return you to your normal dreamscape. Goodnight, dear guest, and until we meet again…" Igor smiled and the twins waved at her as the blue train car slowly faded to black.

-.-.-

Hisako stared at herself in the mirror. Ignoring the dark smudges under her eyes, she looked fine. True to their word, there was no sign of the damage she felt in the Velvet Room; there was no blood in her mouth, her throat felt fine, and there was no bruising or scratching or marks of any kind anywhere else. She could faintly feel Inanna again, a weak but steady sort of pulse in the back of her mind. It was more than she ever gave her in the Velvet Room.

_She was so scared of them…_ Even recalling Inanna's terror made her feel ill. _Or was it them? Did she even notice they were there?_ She couldn't be sure if she was scared of the room or its inhabitants. She hadn't seemed to move much during her time out, and all she could remember was Inanna curled into a ball in front of her the entire time.

Her mind and gaze both wandered. Persona stuff could always occupy her brain at the smallest prompting; it seemed as if it was just an endless list of unanswered questions every time she thought of it. How did dream visits even work? She had _felt_ the pain of Inanna leaving her, she felt the twins grabbing her, she felt the parchment paper of the contract. Had time passed at all, or was it like Irkalla?

Her body, despite being unharmed, actually didn't look too good, either, on second thought. She could tell she had lost weight, although whether from the stress of normal life or from Irkalla—okay, it was certainly from Irkalla. She was out of shape, she knew, and she had meant to start jogging in the evenings and look up videos about staff fighting…

"And then there's you," she growled at the mirror, narrowing her eyes at her reflection's breasts. The tank top she slept in during the summer wasn't flattering to begin with, but she was working with less sleep than usual combined with an extra early morning. She wasn't in the mood for body issues, especially considering how much of a slippery slope that was for her.

Personas to body image in no time flat. She groaned at herself and rested her forehead against the sink, bending almost double to do so. Is that what normal girls did? Oh, what she wouldn't give to be a normal girl. She figured she could handle thinking about Personas and magic and rogue deities all the time, _or_ schoolwork and boys (Mathias) and getting a part-time job all the time. There wasn't enough time for both, and mixing them in her brain wasn't doing her any favors.

"Ma-chan, are you almost done in there?" came her father's voice through the bathroom door.

She jerked her head back up so fast she nearly lost her balance. "Almost done! Sorry!"

"Just don't be late for school! Papa's gotta leave now, so I'll see you later!"

Hisako stuck her head out the door to wish him a good day just as he shut the door behind him. ...Where did her weird family issues fit into her compartmentalization? Probably normal life things. Probably.

On the heels of a night full of supernatural things, she had a particularly mundane day at school. Suzuka and Haruka took turns giving her doe-eyed sappy grins, which she figured was probably meant to imitate how she kept peeking back at Mathias. Mika took her aside at lunch to ask her if she planned on confessing, because _yes_ , it was _that_ obvious, and that didn't improve her mood. Yuri grabbed her directly after and pleaded with her to do _something_ to stop all of the girls from going love crazy.

After telling him (again) that it wasn't her fault and it wasn't a bad thing, anyway, afternoon classes were blessedly quiet. Okay, maybe she could have been a little more diligent in the note-taking department, but she was halfway decent with science already, anyway. Mathias seemed to be writing a novel with all of the notes he was taking.

"Fujihara, in another universe, you would not get caught turned halfway around in your seat. Maybe in that universe I'm blind, or had my back turned at that precise moment, or perhaps I'm not your teacher at all. But alas, _this_ is the single universe we're confined to, and _this_ is the universe I catch you not paying attention," Mr. Tsukino lamented loudly.

"S-Sorry." She sunk low in her seat in embarrassment.

"At least this isn't the universe with a pop quiz today. Ours might be scheduled for tomorrow, however. Who knows, students?"

Great, so she'd have to study a little extra that night. Well, it wasn't as if she had other plans. Maybe grocery shopping, but they hardly needed anything too badly. She needed a better social life.

Classes wrapped up and Hisako moodily shoved her things into her bag. Extra studying on top of homework on top of half her friends teasing her about a silly crush—and the odd one out, Yuri, only asked her to stop acting so obvious due to his own discomfort.

She was _not_ obvious! ...Okay, she was. But he was just so cute, and his foreign accent was novel, and they had lunch together (well, as a group), so was it so wrong to continue thinking about him? There was already a baseline level of familiarity. But with Haruka leaving… No, she was likely trying to get him friendly with her friends to ensure he didn't feel lonely once she left. And he would totally be welcome to continue eating lunch with them. Forever. Or maybe just her.

There were few things capable of getting her mind off of the new student, but spotting a poster for the Cooking Club hung up on the bulletin board was one of them.

She paused, mid-step, and stared at the colorful paper. Someone had drawn little frying pans and rice balls along the outer edge. It advertised the club with a generic sort of description, claimed to need new members, and met Wednesdays and Saturdays.

She nearly stole the entire poster in her sudden excitement. _A Cooking Club! Of course they have one, this isn't a small school_ , she thought as she copied down the information into her planner. _This is just what I need! It keeps Tuesdays free for Irkalla, but I need to work on my cooking skills, and—_ And she knew she needed to make more friends. Not that she disliked her current ones, the opposite, but it would be nice to talk to schoolmates who didn't make magical girl jokes.

She needed to get out of the house more, and until her father let her _finally_ get a part-time job again, a club would have to do. Two birds with one stone.

_Or more like three_ , she mused and grinned at her planner. It was even a Wednesday, so she could just see about introducing herself and joining that very day! It wasn't like she still wouldn't beat her father home, and studying wouldn't take that much extra time.

"Hisako-chan! Not used to seeing you grinning like Suzuka on sugar!" She jumped when she felt arms around her shoulders. Haruka set her chin on top of her head and looked down at the poster. "Oh, right, you haven't joined a club yet, huh? Even though you could still _totally_ get on the baseball team. Just saying."

"I'm not really cut out for sports. Plus, I like cooking," she replied, smile a little more strained. She carefully ducked out of the black-haired girl's grasp, and then froze up once more when she saw she wasn't alone. Mathias smiled pleasantly and gave her a little wave. She jerked her hand in a way that might have been a wave back.

"Clubs around here accept new members pretty much whenever, so I hope you're not worried about them shutting you out?" Haruka asked as she cocked her head.

"Um, no. This is just the first I've heard of the Cooking Club," Hisako replied. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stare at Mathias or stare at everything _but_ him. She settled with a nervous sort of flicker between him and Haruka. "D-Did you two need something?" ' _Where's Suzuka_ ' was on the tip of her tongue, but she reigned it back in.

"Well, y'see, I actually had something come up with Suzuka, and Matt needs a tour guide for the school. Interested?" Haruka asked with a sly smile.

_They set me up!_ True, it didn't take a genius to figure out Haruka and Suzuka worked together in ninety percent of the things they did, but she hadn't counted on getting double-teamed by them when it came to Mathias. Then again, she and Suzuka had spoken about him the day before, and it made sense the two went home just to go through an Irkalla recap…

"I." Hisako looked between the two again. _Cooking Club, use that as an excuse!_ Her inner voice of self-preservation sounded an awful lot like Octavia. That was worrying. _Wait, why do you need an excuse to get_ away _from him?! You want to talk to him!_ Somewhat predictably, her voice of going-for-it sounded like Atticus. "Uh, I. Um."

"You have to know the school well enough by now. Just a tour! I've already given him one, so think of it as a walk with a pre-picked conversation topic," Haruka pressed.

_That doesn't make me want to say yes_ , Hisako thought and glanced over at Mathias again. He seemed to be reading the bulletin board, though she would bet Inanna he was still listening. "Um, alright then. And I _do_ know the school by now," she couldn't resist telling her.

"Perfect! Now then." Haruka turned and said something in quick English, too fast for Hisako to fully grasp. Hopefully something about the school and absolutely nothing else. The pigtailed girl spun back to Hisako with a beam. "Have fun, you two! I'll probably beat him home, and he knows how to get there, but hey, if you two wanna have a sleepover or something, just call and let me know, okay?"

"W-We would not!" she said with a furious blush—and then promptly imagined such a thing. _Bad Hisako!_ At least her mind-Octavia was consistent.

Haruka was already halfway to the doors. Other students milled around, but most of their classmates were gone for the day, and Hisako became suddenly, intensely aware that she and Mathias Poirier were effectively alone. Her heart thudded nearly painfully in her chest.

"Thank you for the tour," he said cheerfully, head cocked a little bit to the side as he smiled. The effect was similar to that of a puppy, especially mixed in with the floppy blond hair and eager expression. She forced herself to look back at the bulletin board to prevent herself from melting into a pile of goo. Or worse: pull a Yuri and blurt out something awful.

"I-I haven't even given you it yet," she mumbled and looked back and forth down the hallway. "Um, I suppose… Let's start in this direction?" She knew the school well enough (mostly), but she hadn't thought she'd be giving tours anytime soon. She had to wonder if it had been Haruka's idea, or if Suzuka even knew about it.

"You are new to the school too, right?" he asked, falling into step beside her.

She had to remind herself _not_ to crack a smile every time she remembered that he was talking to her. "Yes, I moved to the city at the beginning of April. Here's one of our staircases here on this end, and these doors lead outside to the sports fields. Do you, um, do any sports things?" _...Sports things? Oh, way to sound super cool there_ , she mentally groaned.

"Not really, I am a student by heart. At heart? That one. Sorry, it has been difficult switching to another language all the time. Even at home it was half," he said with a grimace. Hisako told herself she didn't find it cute how his nose wrinkled just a little. She had it way too bad.

"Half what?"

"Half English, half French. Or, _um, français québécois, ou joual_?" He chuckled at some joke that was lost on her. She must have been staring—in her defense, her (incredibly cute) crush had just started speaking _French_ to her—because he quickly explained himself. "I came from _Montréal_ , and in _Québec_ , French is the official language. There is plenty of English, and at home that is what my family speaks, unless my grandfather is visiting, then we speak Japanese."

"...How many languages do you speak?" Hisako asked, stunned.

"Just three. Although I know a bit of casual Farsi."

Just a bit of casual Farsi, right. She barely knew what it was. Wasn't it related to Arabic? "Y-You must be pretty smart, huh?" she asked, trying not to feel too intimidated. It made sense that he'd be a good student, but she hadn't expected three and a half languages under a classmate's belt.

"I don't know. I guess I am just— _wait, that doesn't translate_."

"Do you switch languages in the middles of sentences often?"

"It seems to be a growing bad habit," Mathias admitted with a sigh. "I am sorry, normally I am a better talker. Speaker."

"You're much better than I am with English! And I don't know any French at all, or any other languages!" she hastened to comfort him.

"...Would you say something in English for me?"

She really wished she hadn't blushed at such an innocuous request. "I'm, um, not very good…" Hadn't she just said that? But he was positively pouting at her, and she could not believe how expressive he was, much less how effective it was on her. Quickly pointing down the hallway, she managed to exclaim in English, " _That is the library!_ "

His face lit up in a way that ought to have been illegal. "That was not bad! Better than my Japanese—"

"Definitely not," she interjected.

"It was not as bad as you thought, eh?"

"It must be difficult for you, but please stick with Japanese with me. You speak far better than I do and I'd like to avoid further embarrassment."

"Embarrassment? No, but it was cute."

She had to have blushed up to the roots of her hair. Mathias was a good sport about her awkwardness, even throughout the rest of the tour, understanding to the point of suspicious.

_If even_ he _knows about my crush…_ She couldn't continue the thought. As much as she regretted leaving him, she bowed out as soon as the tour was done. Crushes were confusing. She had been happy to spend time with him, but she was hypersensitive to everything while around him, and that wasn't fun.

Predictably, she hardly got any studying done that night.

-.-.-

Saturday, May 24th, 2014

…

"Haruka Watanabe, you are not allowed to leave this country until you tell me whether or not you told him about my crush!" Hisako threatened past the lump in her throat.

"You're not allowed to leave this country at all!" Suzuka exclaimed. "We're a team! We're supposed to stick together!"

"We can still be a team, but this exchange program sort of predated our little magical girl squad," Haruka replied with half a grin. She carefully pried Suzuka off of her and tried to pass her off onto anyone else, yet again, and it didn't work that time, either.

"Teams who skip class together, stay together," Yuri said. He had his hands jammed in his pockets and looked severely uncomfortable with all of the hugging and sad faces.

"Fujihara and I were excused," Mika replied archly.

"What? I didn't know we could get excused for this!"

"Hey, it just means that much more that you came," Haruka said, smile brightening. "Didn't know you cared that much."

"Yeah, well, apparently I do," he grumbled with a shrug.

"Sakuraba, stop messing with her bags." Suzuka froze under Mika's glare. "No sabotage allowed."

"It's not sabotage. I'm small, I could totally fit in this!" She gestured to the largest of the luggage.

"I thought I wasn't leaving you," Haruka pointed out.

"I'm not against going on a trip."

"Just stop messing around with her bags, at least. The last thing we want to do is make her late because she needs to repack something," Mika said and pulled Suzuka away from it. The shorter girl ducked out from her grasp and leapt at Haruka, clinging bodily to her. Mika and Yuri sighed in unison.

"You can't leave," Suzuka said into her shirt.

"Not until you tell me whether or not you told him," Hisako added.

"It's a mystery," Haruka sang. "Ask him yourself if you're so curious."

"She told him!" Suzuka exclaimed traitorously. "Now help me keep her here for punishment!"

"You _did_?!"

"I thought we were supposed to be saying goodbye," Mika reminded them with a cough.

"No one's leaving!" Suzuka cried.

Haruka sighed, smile slipping for the first time. "Suzuka…" she began.

"I know, I know." She tightened her hug but dropped the theatrics. "It just seemed like this snuck up on me. Especially with you and Mika-chan figuring out the Irkalla stuff—"

"You told them," Hisako and Yuri deadpanned together.

"And then the new kid got here, and then we were busy being distracted by _all_ that, and now, it's here. You're leaving now. ...You're leaving."

"It's not like I'm never returning. It's just a year. Plus, it's their summer break right now, so I'll be sending you emails and pictures all the time. Matt talked _all_ the time about how pretty the city is, so I'll send you so many pictures of it that you'll think you're there with me."

"This is a great opportunity, to travel and to learn. She's lucky to be going," Mika said gently.

"And it's not like we have to worry about her there. Canada doesn't have any crime, and any evil goddesses won't be able to reach her that far away," Yuri said. Hisako and Mika glared at him for bringing that up again.

"But _you_ lot!" Haruka exclaimed in a too-loud voice. "You'll be fighting monsters without me! So why are you so worried about _me_?"

"That's what I was trying to say," he muttered.

"Next time, spare us," Mika said curtly.

"I expect prompt video chats _every_ Tuesday to make sure you're all still in one piece! Don't take any unnecessary risks!"

"We'll be fine! Personas, remember?" Suzuka chimed in.

"And we're a team, whether or not we're together or not. We'll keep in touch and tell you everything," Hisako added. "Just so long as you don't turn around and tell Mathias-san anything _else_ that's unnecessary."

"I'm not the one you have to worry about spilling secrets," Haruka said flatly. With Yuri and Suzuka on the team, she supposed that was a fair point, but she had started it with Mathias and secrets.

"We'll be fine. All of us," Mika said. Beside her, Yuri nodded in agreement. "And we'll all miss you, too." With another roll of his eyes, he nodded to that one, too.

"We'll miss you t-too much!" Suzuka declared.

"Oh come on, I don't want to get teary eyed." Setting her fists on her hips, Haruka tilted back her head, blinking rapidly. Without looking at them, she said, "Technology today is something special, so we'll be able to keep in touch super easy. And hey, I won't say no to some sort of magical visit, if you can swing it."

"I don't think that's how it'll work out," Hisako hastily cut in. "The Velvet Room isn't a travel service."

"Worth a shot. Let me know if that does work out, though, 'kay?"

"You'll be the first to know."

"...Do you really have to leave?" Suzuka asked pathetically.

"Just—c'mere." The tears finally began in earnest. Haruka demanded hugs from each of them, then one last team hug, and throughout it all, never let go of Suzuka. Hisako kept wiping at her eyes and she caught Mika covertly do the same more than once. Yuri continued to look uncomfortable. But Suzuka was truly crying, nearly sobbing, and Haruka wasn't much better.

They eventually left them like that. Haruka would be getting a ride to the airport from her family, and apparently, Suzuka had already talked her way into that, too. It felt strangely final to walk away from her house like that, and the heavy atmosphere stayed with them.

"Was I the only one expecting them to kiss goodbye?" Yuri asked. Mika smacked him on the arm and Hisako struggled to figure out whether to cry or laugh at his inappropriate joke.

"You perverted pig, can't you pretend to be normal for five minutes?" Mika spat.

"I don't see how wondering if their big show was going to turn into something even more awkward is perverted."

"Wondering whether or not their friendship was romantic _is_ perverted."

"They're allowed to do what they like with their personal lives."

"But you don't have to _wonder_ about it! Especially after we've just said goodbye to Watanabe for the next _year_. Does that even process with you?" Mika demanded, smacking him again. Yuri scowled at her and rubbed his arm. "We'll be third years before we see her in person again."

"But you said so yourself, great opportunity and all that. Plus, she'll be safer this way. We don't have to worry about her being targeted."

"We can still miss her! And however we like, without your nosiness and dirty thoughts!"

"Can we all just take a moment to quietly reflect on things?" Hisako pleaded. The pair huffed and glared in opposite directions for the rest of the trip back to school.

They arrived just before the break for lunch, and Yuri was reprimanded for skipping, even though Hisako (and a begrudging Mika) vouched for where he'd been. At lunch, Mathias still came to sit with them, although his presence only made it more obvious Haruka and Suzuka were both gone.

"How did the goodbye go?" he asked in concern. "I wanted to go, too, but I am not allowed to miss many days. She seemed nervous last night."

"There were about as many tears as you'd expect. Put on as big of a show as usual," Yuri replied while the girls stared sadly into their meals.

"I hope the flight is okay for her. She said it was her first time overseas."

They fell silent. Mika picked at her food, avoiding looking at Yuri with all her might. Mathias kept staring out the window and missing his mouth when he'd try to take a bite. Hisako, for her part, wondered if Suzuka would be back to school, and if so, what sort of state she'd be in. Losing her best friend for the next year couldn't be an easy thing to process.

_And she told him about the crush_ , she thought sourly. Not that she really blamed Haruka. But a little warning would have been nice.

"Are you _really_ staying at her house?" Yuri asked suddenly. Hisako winced, but at least it hadn't been embarrassing.

"Yes, why?" Mathias replied with a blink.

"What's it like, living with a high school girl?"

There was a thump under the table and he jerked with a curse. Mika looked especially innocent as he rubbed his injured shin.

"Are you jealous?" Mathias asked, politely ignoring the warzone. "I can assure you, you are not her type."

"He's not jealous, he's just a jerk," Mika said primly.

"I just don't see how you can put up with them, current company as an example."

"That's a little rude to Hisako-san," he said and she felt a little thrill in her heart.

"Oh, not this again," Yuri groaned. "If you'll excuse me, I'm returning to the Art room for my meals. Lower risk of injury and vomiting at sappiness."

Watching him leave curiously, the blond boy asked, "He's a little love-shy, isn't he?"

Hisako opened her mouth to respond, but to her surprise, Mika beat her to it. "Yes, he is," she grumpily replied.

"Is that what is wrong with you two? Do you like him?" he pressed. Hisako wished she would've warned him, although she was astonished he even had the courage to walk right into that minefield on his own. He'd had the past week to see how they acted around each other!

So it floored her when Mika replied in that same gruff tone, "Yes, I suppose I do."

It was hardly attractive when she choked on her drink and dribbled it down her front, but she could not believe the honey-haired girl had just said that. "Wh-What?" she coughed, recovering slightly. "Since when?"

"Ooh, new gossip," Mathias said eagerly and scooted his chair over closer—to Hisako, but his closeness came secondary to the other girl's shocking frankness.

"We've been arguing less and less, and doesn't that imply some growing level of tolerance?"

" _That_ was arguing less?" Hisako asked suspiciously.

"I'm not feeling the urge to throw paint on him lately."

"What _are_ you feeling?" Mathias asked.

"Hmm." She set her chin in her hand and frowned, thoughtfully. "I'm impressed at his part in—" Eyes going wide, she cut herself short, and Hisako realized what she was going to say. With pink cheeks, she quickly amended, "I'm just impressed at how he's seem to grown lately. He's acting more mature in some ways. A-And I've come to terms with some things that happened between us in the past, I think, so…"

"Sounds like a lot of confused feelings," Mathias said and nodded sagely. "It should be something you discuss yourselves, if you are able to."

"Do you think I like him, then?" Mika asked seriously.

"I think you should only think that if you are comfortable, otherwise there is no rush. I will not tell him anything if you don't," he replied cheerily.

"Thank you. I will think on your words. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go talk to Mr. Akiyama about Sakuraba's absence, and to prevent embarrassing myself further." With a shy but grateful smile, Mika left them alone—and then that sunk in. Hisako was alone with Mathias, again.

But she didn't feel as nervous compared to before. Sure, she still felt Haruka and Suzuka's absences, and she was still reeling a little from Mika's sudden confession, but something else eclipsed those feelings: the gladness she felt that in Mathias, she had just met another person willing to talk out problems. She felt, absurdly, like wanting to high-five him.

In lieu of that, there was a bright flash of light and a deep, but feminine, voice ringing in her head. She managed to mask her flinch as a cough. Sure enough, as she slid into her seat for afternoon classes, she found a new tarot card in her pocket.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Painter social link has ranked up! The Magician arcana has reached rank 3.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Linguist social link of the Lovers arcana!


	12. Megido

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a chef is too friendly and a bird is reintroduced to a transfer.

As giddy as it made her to create a social link with Mathias, she felt some trepidation because of the arcana: the Lovers. _Does that mean we're destined to end up together?_ she thought, half elated, half full of dread. She was all for the concept of fated lovers, but being the only one aware of it—and being so young—put a damper on it. And with all of the supernatural business going on in her life, she liked the thought of choices taken from her even less (even if it sounded silly being applied to her love life).

But life went on regardless. It was Saturday, and despite the butterflies in her stomach, and despite the lingering sadness she felt with Haruka's still-new absence, she would _not_ spend another afternoon with Mathias or anyone else. She was going to join the Cooking Club if it killed her.

And it very well might, since all she could think of was the tarot card in her pocket and the cute foreigner she shared it with, which wasn't the best distraction when she was supposed to be working with sharp utensils and high temperatures.

The Cooking Club wasn't large, with under a dozen members, but they were all certainly friendly enough. It was mostly girls, somewhat predictably, but there were three boys, one of whom seemed to be _very_ popular. Half the club, including the president, Kaori Ono, crowded around him and acted more like a fanclub than anything else. Hisako just quietly tried to keep up with making cookies like the rest of them and wondered _why_ everyone was fawning over a messy-haired first-year boy.

It became apparent as soon as their food was finished; he was a _phenomenal_ cook. Hisako's own batch came out slightly burnt and more than slightly dry, but the rest of the members seemed competent, aside from one of the other boys, whose cookies could hardly be called that.

"Want a cookie, new girl?" Kaori asked brightly, holding out the plate. At the end of every meeting, the entire club pooled the good food, tossed out the bad stuff, and everyone shared the leftovers. Hisako saw more than one person digging through the plates in order to get to the first-year boy's food, however.

"Um, sure. Thank you."

"Sorry we just jumped into cooking. We normally do most of our social stuff afterward. Everyone's happier on a full stomach, right?" the president said and gestured to where a lot of the rest of the club was forming a little circle with their stools. Hisako took another cookie and joined them.

There were finally proper introductions after that. Hisako had to admit, she sort of liked the attention that accompanied being the newest member. Everyone wanted her to try their food, they made sure she knew everyone's name, and her fellow second-years talked about teachers and assignments with her. It was incredibly _nice_ not to think about crushes or exchanged students or magic for awhile, though it also made her feel guilty for it. Some things should have been more important, right?

The popular first-year, Takeshi Shibata, made a point to catch her eye from across the circle. Hisako raised an eyebrow at the wide smile he gave her. Friendliness was expected, but he seemed to be going oddly out of his way.

After the meeting and the students began to disperse, he again sought her out. "New girl—Hisako-san, right?—did you get to try one of my _amazing_ cookies?" Takeshi asked and pulled out a foil-wrapped plate from behind his back.

"I don't think so," she replied, still perplexed at his attentiveness—and casualness. "And, um, I'm older than you." She rather liked her second-year status, thank you.

"Hisako-senpai," he amended, smile kept in place. "Please, try one. I'd feel terrible if any of our club members didn't get to try something I made."

It wasn't quite arrogance, not with how charming he was, but he was certainly confident in himself. And wishing she hadn't had so many cookies before, Hisako took another. To his credit, it was by far the best she'd had, not that it was difficult to beat her sad attempt. "You seem to be very talented. Do you enjoy cooking a lot?"

"Thank you!" His smile relaxed, but Hisako still couldn't put her finger on what felt off about his behavior. He was clearly trying hard to win her over, but _why_? "I love cooking, so it's always gratifying to hear I'm good at it, you know?" Takeshi said, drawing her back into the conversation and away from her doubts.

"I can understand that. I wish I was a little better at it myself."

"Is that why you joined the club?"

"Pretty much." Despite her misgivings, he wasn't bad company. It was nice to be able to talk to someone without being hypersensitive to every little thing, and the attention was flattering. Hisako tried a little more to smile back at him. "Will we be cooking much else other than desserts or the basics? Will we be baking much?" Not that she even knew what the basics were.

"We usually have a vote on recipes to use every couple of weeks, but I've been known to sway public opinion," he said proudly, even winking at her behind his glasses. At least he was aware of his popularity.

"I'm glad this has such an easygoing atmosphere. Thank you for the cookie, too."

"No problem. Anything to welcome another cute girl such as yourself." Takeshi took her hand in his own, warmer one, and brought it up to his lips. Hisako felt herself blush, although at least practicing with the twins lessened the shock of such a gesture.

His smile turned mischievous when she took her hand back and stammered out, "Y-Yes, um, w-well, thank you for the welcome. I'll be taking my leave now."

On her quick retreat out, the blonde experienced two things: a couple of the other stragglers gave her knowing, unsurprised looks, and a round-faced girl with her long hair tied back in a low ponytail breezed into the room despite not being a member of the club. Hisako paused in the doorway, watching the new girl make her way over to Takeshi. His grin became less cocky and more earnest when he began speaking to her, and that finally tipped Hisako off.

 _He's putting on an act_ , she thought, more confused than ever. She looked down at the hand he'd kissed. _Why was he forcing himself to be nice to me?_

-.-.-

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

…

Haruka's absence was something sharp within the group. Hisako had expected some degree of a depressive state from Suzuka, and that much was certainly true. But Mika was more skittish and persistent than normal, being the only one left without a Persona or the ability to follow them on their trip. As a direct result, Yuri acted jumpy and guilty, since he was the one she normally turned to.

With one glum pitcher and one distracted painter, Hisako was forced to call an early end to their exploration trip. They had gotten a couple more hallway signs painted, almost getting to the gallery—the beginning sections of Irkalla's maze were growing more and more familiar, but she wanted markers, just in case—but it was not as many as she had hoped for. But the team had to come first.

Even if, as they resurfaced into the bright afternoon sun, one of their teammates ambushed them with undue ferocity. "How did it go? Are you all alright? Do you need any water or first aid?"

"We have _magic_ ," Yuri groused and immediately shied from Mika's advance.

" _You_ have magic that heals, and they don't. That's a lot of responsibility—"

"Responsibility that Yuri-kun is good at handling. We're all fine, see?" Hisako broke in. It had been an easy run. No lemurs and no talking monsters, although they did run into a doctor that had cast some sort of love spell on Suzuka. Mika didn't need to know that, even if the addition of another type of magic worried Hisako.

"Watanabe has already sent me two emails today asking me to keep an eye on you," Mika said. Suzuka made a little sound, somewhere between a gurgle and a whimper.

"We're fine!" Hisako repeated quickly. She turned to console Suzuka, but just like every time before when she'd tried, the petite girl turned away from her. "...We're fine, and we'll all send Haruka-chan emails about it. Aren't you two going to video chat tonight?"

"Speak for yourself," Yuri interjected, rather needlessly. Both Mika and Hisako shot him a look for it.

"...Yeah, we are," Suzuka mumbled. "I should get home, then."

"Wait…" She didn't know what she should wait _for_. Suzuka gave her a weak smile, showing she appreciated the effort, and slunk off. It had only been a couple days since Haruka had left, and she would bet that they'd been talking daily, and she also knew that she'd get more used to it given time, but it was worrying to see her so dispirited.

"This is getting difficult," Yuri said.

"You think?" Hisako asked with a sigh.

"We can only be a team if we work like one. Not splinter every time something bad happens."

"Her best friend just moved away for a year," Mika snapped. "And she's worried sick about you three."

"Yeah, I know, she emails _me_ , too," he groaned.

"You can try to act like you care about this group once in awhile!"

"We're not even a group—or a team!" he exclaimed and both girls fell silent at that. He looked as if he regretted his words, but, jamming his hands into his pockets with a scowl, he blustered on anyway. "We're just twiddling our thumbs down there until that dead wind woman gives us some answers, unless someone else gets kidnapped soon. We shouldn't be exploring the place when it doesn't benefit us at all."

"It's preparation in case it does happen again," Hisako said faintly. It wasn't something they liked to acknowledge, the possibility of it happening again, but there was little they could do to stop it without more information. They didn't know how Ngeshtin-ana was getting out, nor did they know what sort of pattern she was following to target people. Yuri and Suzuka had little in common.

"Well, we shouldn't be doing it if we're distracted," he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and looked everywhere but at them. "Sorry, it's been a long day. I'll see you later."

"That boy does love to shove his foot in his mouth, doesn't he?" Mika asked. She crossed her arms and watched as he left, looking every part the kicked dog that Suzuka had.

"He had a bit of a point. It's not exactly safe for us to be going down there when we're in this bad of shape…" The brunette turned to her and Hisako rapidly backpedaled, "N-Not that it was unsafe! We were totally fine with our Personas and with each other!"

Mika deflated. They grabbed their things and walked together out of the cemetery, silent until she said, "...I know what you mean. I can't know what it's like down in that place, but maybe you should skip next week. Let Sakuraba adjust in her own time and Yuri…"

"He could use a break, too," Hisako said gently.

"I don't mean to be overbearing," she muttered.

"I know you're worried. And you're worried on behalf of Haruka-chan, too. But…" She paused, searching for a tactful way of putting it. "Maybe ask Yuri-kun less about it? I-I mean, I get the feeling that he's already dealing with the pressure of being the only one with healing magic, and I try not to remind him of that too often. And you know you can always ask me about stuff, too!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you from my nagging," Mika said humorlessly.

"That's not it! Okay, maybe you can be a _little_ harsh on Yuri-kun sometimes—" she sighed in acknowledgement, "—but it comes from a good place, doesn't it?"

Hisako stared hard at Mika until she realized what she meant. "...Oh. I admit, I was wondering if you would ask me about that," she said, shifting away uncomfortably, both from the conversation and the taller girl.

"You _did_ admit you liked him to my face. Pretty much."

"I'm not sure. I mostly said it to give you and Poirier something to talk about." And of course she pronounced his last name flawlessly. Did everyone speak French?

"Really?" Hisako pressed.

"I don't know," Mika said, waving her hand dismissively. "I've learned not to examine my feelings too closely."

"Why?" That time, she was less prodding at her and more genuinely perplexed.

"They bring nothing but trouble. I like not thinking about them." That didn't exactly clear up her confusion, since Mika was one of the most emotional people she knew. Sensing the incoming barrage of continued questions, Mika headed her off. "You know Yuri and I used to be better friends, right?"

"Yes." Yuri had referenced it more than once, but never in too much detail, and it would be interesting to hear more of Mika's side of things. She still didn't know what had caused them to fight initially, either.

"Best friends, really. Almost like Watanabe and Sakuraba. Mind you, this was several years ago, and things were very different between us then. N-Not romantic, I mean, but we were just… close. Very close."

"Did you like him?" Hisako asked as she fought a grin. Yuri had already admitted to a crush on a younger Mika, so if all of their issues stemmed from unrequited love…

"No, not as he probably wanted me to. From time to time, in hindsight, I wonder if he didn't like me, though…"

Hisako quickly dropped the grin.

"We're getting off topic. We were very good friends, and you know how people can talk if a girl and a boy are good friends, especially in the age of schoolyard crushes. Then, he started gaining some attention for his paintings, winning some local art shows, getting fawned over by the teachers, what's become normal for him. And he broke a very important promise to me."

"What was the promise?" she asked, unable to help her curiosity.

Mika gave her a sharp, perhaps disappointed look, but she answered all the same. "I was relying on him for something. Something very important to me, I thought to us. I _thought_ I knew how we both felt about the situation. But then he decided that the attention he was receiving was more important, and so he never did it. So that's why I don't want to think about Yuri Kikuchi any more than I have to, especially if my heart has gotten dumb lately."

"Feelings aren't dumb. Would it be prying to ask how long ago this happened?"

"Two years ago now, during our last year of middle school."

"Then maybe your heart has forgiven him on some level. I'm not an expert on feelings or sorting them out, but I suppose I'm an expert on talking, and if you ever want to talk about any of this, I'm here for you," Hisako said. She was rewarded when Mika gave her a small, but earnest smile.

"Thank you. Maybe I'll take you up on that. I've recently found my Saturday evenings are rather free, since we're without our slumber parties now. Perhaps we could see each other then?"

"Sure!" _Look at me, making social plans outside of exploring the underworld!_ Okay, she shouldn't be proud of herself for that.

"So this makes it your turn. How are things progressing with Poirier?" Mika asked.

"U-Um, they're not really _progressing_ … And shouldn't we continue talking about Yuri-kun? You still haven't decided whether or not you like him. What made you think of him in that way lately?"

"...You want the honest truth?"

"Yes, of course."

"He's growing his hair out," she said solemnly. Hisako tried very hard to keep a straight face. True, his hair was just about long enough to tie back, and he usually did when she got fed up with it in Irkalla. "I think I have a type. It involves long hair and earrings on guys."

"He told me it was _your_ idea to pierce your ears together. Are you sure you weren't grooming him because you liked him back then?"

"Hm, perhaps. Mostly, I just didn't want to be alone. He made sure I wasn't."

Hisako opened her mouth to reply, but ended up biting her tongue when she flinched back from the flash of light. "Ow, okay, that time it hurt."

"What did—oh! Another one?"

With a watery-eyed smile, Hisako held up the Tower card. Another little star on the bottom, signalling the third rank. "I need to get better at guessing when they'll appear, but maybe we should talk about Yuri-kun more. He got a rank when he talked about you, too."

"He talks about me?" Mika asked with large eyes. "What does he say?"

"Someone's got to know how to keep a secret on this team. But—don't go asking him about it! It's between us, just like how I won't go admitting you like his hair to him."

"Fair enough," she replied, though she pouted. "But… If he ever mentions cutting it to you, could you do me a favor and try to talk him out of it? I'd like to figure out if I just find him more attractive now that he's growing into his face and growing out his hair… Or if it's something else."

"You're hoping it's that, huh?"

"It'll be easier to stand him if I just think he's something nice to look at," Mika said sourly.

-.-.-

Wednesday, June 4th, 2014

…

They skipped their first Tuesday. She wasn't sure if it was just having a break or if time was helping her adjust, but Suzuka seemed to be in slightly higher spirits that day. She was even early to class.

"I'm going to be sending her a package here pretty soon, I think," the redhead said. She was sitting backwards in her chair, leaning on Hisako's desk as they spoke. There were only a couple other students there that early besides them.

"Sending a package overseas would be expensive, but I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Maybe we should all chip in and make it something big?" Hisako suggested.

"Maybe! I mean, maybe next time? My box is already pretty full as it is…"

"Oh, of course. The next one can be a surprise for her."

"Now, if only we can figure out how to exchange all those weird items we keep getting from that one place for real money," Suzuka said with a loud sigh. "I might as well send her a bag full of gold coins for all the good it's doing _us_."

"Gold's pretty heavy." They both knew that from firsthand experience.

"We _really_ need to figure out some place we can sell them. A coin collector, maybe? Maybe some sort of antique or pawn shop. I'll ask around later." She set her head down on her folded arms. "Man, even without going exploring yesterday, I still feel like we did."

"Maybe you just need to be going to bed earlier."

"But she's free in her early afternoon…" Suzuka whined. Hisako didn't have the heart to press her on the subject, but she hoped she'd start getting more sleep after she got a little more used to Haruka's absence. "When school starts up again for her, she says she'll probably be able to get on in the evenings, which means early mornings for us."

"Just don't end up late for school _too_ often."

"Roger that."

Both girls looked up eagerly as Mathias entered the room. Suzuka gave him a halfhearted wave. "Good morning. How are you two?" he asked with the cheer that only came with being a morning person.

"Haruka kept me up too late last night," Suzuka replied.

"The time zone difference is not that bad. Even if you miss her, I am sure my family is taking good care of her, so you could afford to get more sleep." Despite his desk being near the window, he sat down beside them, in Mika's spot.

" _You_ didn't have any jet lag, so you don't get to talk about time zone differences."

"That is because Haruka kept me up very late," Mathias said with a frown.

"I came into this conversation at the wrong point," a sleepy-looking Yuri announced. Hisako smiled apologetically, not having seen him join them. Without sitting down at his desk, he put his hands up in mock surrender and circled right back out of the classroom. "Too early for misunderstandings. See you later."

"He is very funny," Mathias remarked.

"That's one word for him," Suzuka said with a shrug. "He looked pretty tired, too, though. Maybe our bodies are hardwired to be exhausted after Tuesdays."

"Tuesday?" he asked, cocking his head.

Both girls laughed nervously. "There are sales!" Hisako exclaimed.

"So many sales! We drag him out shopping with us to carry our bags."

"Yes! That!"

If he was confused by their response, he hid it well. Mercifully for them, Mika breezed into the room at that point, disrupting their atrocious attempt at covering up. "Good morning. You're in my seat."

Not seeming bothered, she sat down in the chair ahead of him. Her hair was held up in a messy but cute bun, which, while not unusual for her, held her honey brown hair up nicely off of the horns she has sprouted.

Hisako gaped at her as Mathias apologized. She faintly heard Suzuka start talking in that fast tone she took when she was changing the subject abruptly. Mika hardly spared her a second glance.

Without exactly meaning to, she started to reach over to touch the large, curling horns. They looked like water buffalo horns, smooth and pointed, but Mika looked up at her sharply when she got close. Hisako could have sworn her eyes flashed red.

"You, um—you had—something," she mumbled and withdrew her hand.

Suzuka caught onto something behind weird, but didn't look like she could see what Hisako saw. "Say, Mika-chan, how are you feeling today? Tired after our _big shopping trip_ yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

The redhead laughed too loudly and clapped Mika on the shoulder. "You know, when we dragged Kikuchi out yesterday to carry all our stuff? Remember?" She was not gifted with the art of lying.

"Please don't touch me," she replied with a cough.

The first bell rang and Mathias returned to his own seat, prompting Mika to take her place on Hisako's left. Yuri slunk in after making sure the coast was clear, sitting on her right, but despite all of the looks and whispers she shot him, he didn't seem to catch on to what was alarming her, either.

 _So I'm still the only one who can see them_ , she mentally grumbled. Yuri hadn't been able to see Suzuka's, either, but she had been hoping that it would develop with time, or something to that effect. It was a lot of pressure to be the only alarm system against possession.

Hisako cornered Mika during their lunch break and drew her away from the group. "Can I help you?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

Did she outright accuse her of anything? Did she try to speak to Ngeshtin-ana, or keep talking to Mika herself? "You're acting strange today."

"I could say the same for you. Do you actually need anything from me, or can I go?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

Mika opened her mouth, but a look of sudden worry crossed over her face. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"You, uh…" Her eyes found the large horns again. "You just don't… _look_ well."

"I feel fine." She swept a lock of hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear, going through the horns entirely. If they weren't solid yet, then they still had some time. Of course, Hisako didn't know how to get rid of a goddess herself; the Personas had always done it for them. Did they _need_ Irkalla?

"Is everything alright here?" Yuri asked as he ducked into the conversation. Hisako peeked over his shoulder to make sure Mathias was distracted by Suzuka. Check.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." That sounded like her usual self. Mika mumbled an excuse to leave and brushed past them, head held low.

"Something's up with her," Yuri said, and it was not a question.

"She…" She mimicked horns on her head, but he only gave her a lost expression. Lowering her voice, she explained, "She has horns."

" _What_?!" Head snapping back up, he squinted at her retreating figure. "...I don't see anything."

"I figured. But you still noticed she's acting off."

"She's not _acting_ off, there's just something off about her. I guess that would be it. So, what's the plan?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Persona seniority?"

"Fine." They would discuss actual leadership roles later, even if she was uncomfortably aware that she would likely end up as the de facto leader. "Then we let her make the next move. I don't think anything can happen while we're here, so she'll move to Irkalla soon, and that's when we'll follow her. Plus, I don't know how we could force that goddess out without our Personas."

So they waited. Just as the two before her had, Mika acted weirder and weirder as the day wore on: she became jittery, she started zoning out, and an hour before classes were to let out, she had her first coughing fit. She had two more before Ms. Tachibana made her go to the nurse.

"I'll escort her," Yuri started but their teacher gave him a sharp look.

"Kikuchi, sit back down," she commanded.

"I'll do it!" Hisako volunteered quickly. Ms. Tachibana allowed it, although Mika didn't wait for her. Her horns appeared more solid than before, stray strands of hair falling around them as if they were real, and that worried Hisako. She followed her at a distance. It looked as if Mika really did mean to go to the nurse's office.

"Stop following me," Mika growled as she disappeared into the office.

Hisako didn't have much choice but to return to the classroom. They still had enough time left of their last class to make her nervous; even if they knew where she'd be headed, she didn't want her to get a headstart. Unfortunately, Mika didn't return to their class by the time the last bell rang.

Yuri hardly waited long enough to shove his stuff in his bag. "Grab your stuff!" he told Suzuka as Hisako scrambled to get her things together.

"What's going on? What's the hurry?"

"We got a mission!" he barked and ran out the door.

"He was in a hurry," Mathias remarked. The realization dawned on Suzuka's face and she gathered her things in a rush, too. "Another important shopping trip?" he asked mildly.

"You know how those flash sales are," the redhead replied without looking at him.

"Sorry, we'll talk to you later," Hisako said as an apology and they darted out the room. She'd have to skip Cooking Club, too, but she felt less remorse for that. They barely caught Yuri by the door. "You can't leave without us! Just _wait_ a moment!"

"She already left!" he said with a shuffle towards the door.

" _Who_ already left?" Suzuka asked, and then, after a beat, "Mika-chan? She—?"

"Yes! Now let's get going!" Hardly waiting for them any longer, he broke out into the bright afternoon sunlight. With matching huffs of frustration, they shoved their things into their bags as they jogged out after him. He practically force-marched them to the cemetery. They didn't catch a single glimpse of Mika.

Yuri finally relinquished his lead so Hisako could guide them down the staircase. She picked at a scab on her arm and summoned Inanna. Their stuff was at the bottom of the stairs, just around the corner, and they set about to getting ready. Hisako had her Persona set a magical charge in her staff, then had her create a wall of ice between Yuri and them. They stripped off their school uniforms with as much speed as possible.

"Mika-chan's been talking with us today," Suzuka said as she pulled a tank top over her head. Her curly hair ended up even messier than usual. "I don't remember talking all that much when I…"

"You did. You acted strange, but you could talk and some part of you still told you to come to school, too," Hisako replied and pulled a cardigan on over her dress.

"Huh." Suzuka almost seemed more like her usual self when thinking about Mika instead of Haruka, but that hadn't lasted long.

"You girls done primping yet?" Yuri complained. Since they were, Hisako toppled the ice wall onto him, although she let it turn into slush before it squished him. They grabbed their Irkalla backpacks and got going before he could whine further.

Nergal stalked back and forth in front of the entrance to the maze, wings flapping in agitation. "They're back," he told them without preamble. His tail lashed behind him and his claws dug into his biceps. "Ereshkigal has gone into Irkalla to look for them. I assume you are here to do the same?"

"Yes. The goddess has taken our friend. Again."

"If you find either of them first, call her to you with all haste. Not even you are a match for both of them."

"Both?"

"Ngeshtin-ana and Dumuzi. The Tablets are very powerful, and Ereshkigal gave them to you as a precaution against dire emergencies, but do summon her if you find them. She is still the lord of this land and she can deal with them."

"Dumuzi is down here?" Hisako asked as she looked at the bracelet hanging from her wrist. She wouldn't mind having Ereshkigal's help with Ngeshtin-ana, but she felt conflicted about calling her for Dumuzi. He had only wanted to help stop his sister.

"Yes," Nergal growled with another sharp flap of his wings. His bright green eyes narrowed. "Do not let your affections for him blind you, Inanna."

"I won't." If he saw through the lie, he didn't comment. Dumuzi had been far less aggressive towards them than Nergal and Ereshkigal. They edged around the lion-headed man and into the first level of the labyrinth. Once they were out of sight of him, her friends let out sighs of relief. "Are you two still scared of him?"

"It's hard not to be when Tiamat is writhing around inside my head like that." Suzuka shuddered.

"He's better than Ereshkigal, though," Yuri added darkly.

They continued on in silence.

They were getting better at working as a team, at least. Inanna and Tiamat had no issue being the close-range fighters, which left Enlil in reserve for long-range wind attacks and healing. Hisako acted as the last defense with her staff. More than once, she had to do so. All of the monsters seemed more agitated than normal, although if that was because Ngeshtin-ana was back, Dumuzi was back, or simply because they were used to quiet Tuesdays, it was impossible to tell.

They ran out of painted signs in record time, and Yuri added a couple more while Suzuka scouted ahead. They spotted a fat lemur down the hall and avoided it entirely. The girls did try to catch one of the weeping monsters for its tears, but it nearly led them into a trio of fiery gryphons, and they left it alone after that.

Entering into the art gallery, things were even more unbelievable. Nearly all of the paintings had already crawled out of their frames, staggering around like the most colorful zombie invasion ever. Defeating them only got them messy, so halfway through, Yuri had Enlil push the paintings back into their rooms and they simply ran for it.

The door to the second level was already wide open.

"I don't like this," he said and Inanna echoed the feeling. While the door had never been fully shut after they'd unlocked it, it had never been left that way, either.

"We don't have to like it." They pushed on, but more cautiously than before.

It wasn't storming, but there was an electric tension in the air. They were hardly around the first corner before an empty suit of armor on an equally empty horse charged at them.

"You guys are seeing what I'm seeing, right?" Yuri asked, pressed up against the wall, eyes wide. The invisible mount neighed as its rider turned it back around for another strike.

"I don't care what it is, I'm gonna beat it anyway!" Suzuka shouted. Inanna and Tiamat threw ice and lightning at it, but the ice hardly fazed it, and the lightning rebounded back at them. Hisako tried to leap out of the way, but she felt that now-familiar sensation of everything locking up before the pain kicked in. She curled into a ball once she could move again and cursed herself for forgetting to take out her earrings.

Suzuka, still standing despite the attack, kept the knight busy with her Persona as Yuri edged over and offered Hisako a healing paint brush and a hand up. She handed him her earrings. "Don't forget the metal."

"What about your bracelet?" he asked, eyeing her wrist as he helped her up.

"It's… Hm." It had never carried a current against her before, and she had been zapped plenty of times by that point. "Magic, I guess?"

Ahead of them, Suzuka broke out into echoing laughter. She'd picked up Hisako's staff and used it as a lightning rod, palette knife clenched tight in her other fist. "You can't electrocute me! I'm the lightning queen! _I'll_ electrocute _you_!" she cackled and Tiamat's thundercloud rumbled in agreement. Using the staff just like Hisako did, she and Tiamat struck the knight together with bolts of lightning. It staggered back, invisible horse screaming, but readied its lance once more.

"Lightning queen needs to get out of the front lines!" Hisako shouted and pulled the redhead back herself. Tiamat advanced without her. Inanna jumped in between them and the inevitable clash of electricity before they got fried again. "What were you thinking? You don't have any weapons yet! And give me that back."

"Had to be a distraction, didn't I?" Suzuka replied. Thunder crashed as the two threw bolts again. Inanna started shying back with her own staff held out in a defensive pose. "I can stand all the electricity. Looks like you two can't, but that makes sense, so let me do this!"

"We're a team!" Boom. Another shrill, pained neigh.

"Which is why I was covering your asses!" A flash that Inanna mostly blocked.

"Okay, thank you, but you don't have to now—!"

"Ladies, please! Let's stop arguing about the pile of goop." Yuri exclaimed and they looked around Inanna's legs at the pieces of armor melting into black ooze.

Suzuka tried to touch the Persona, but she pushed her out of the way with the tip of her staff. While grateful for the avoidance of embarrassment, Hisako was distracted by the pile of loot that was fizzling away. "Stuff!" she squealed and all but dove into it.

With a wordless shout of glee, Suzuka hopped in right after her. The girls sifted through the blackness, hauling up things that weren't melting, showing their prizes to Yuri. He wasn't as enthused as they were. He stuck close to his pristine white Persona.

They came up with reins, a saddlebag, some barding, and chunks of armor, all of it comically oversized. Suzuka tried putting the reins on Tiamat, and the Persona surprisingly went along with it, until they figured out they couldn't fit it over her large fangs.

"Help me with this?" Hisako called, wiping her hands on her legs. Yuri picked through the remains of the monster to help her drag out the horse's mask. "Inanna, freeze this for me!"

Her Persona just frowned at her.

"Ice? Please?"

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

The twins had mentioned some sort of name for different types of magic, but it wasn't as if she had gotten a class on it. She didn't like how fickle Inanna was about handling her requests, either. "Uh…"

"Bufula."

"Yes, thank you—" Yuri clutched her arm at the same time she realized the male voice was not his.

Backing up, she turned to find a tall creature peering down at her. Her first impression was birdlike, despite the long, straight horns jutting out from its skull, not unlike a gazelle's. It stood on two legs, and with arms folded in front of it—not precisely arms, for what she thought were sleeves were actually wings, long, black feathers dripping down off of its limbs.

"Not a problem. You would need a bufula to freeze that metal, but that should be no problem for you. I was wondering when I would run into you, actually," it—he—said in the masculine voice, unaware of their fright.

To Hisako's annoyance and confusion, Inanna was not immediately attacking, despite their proximity. In fact, all she could feel was curiousity.

No one else had any such problem. Thunder rang out, and a bolt of lightning enveloped the creature, making the nearer kids jump. Suzuka peeked over Tiamat's claw, reins still draped over her Persona, and told them, "I'm not sure I have it in me to have another electrocution battle so soon! Get back over here!"

Hisako and Yuri scuttled over to the safety of the massive Persona. Enlil followed them and Inanna did not. "Is she supposed to be doing that?" he asked.

The black, horned creature was almost as tall as Inanna, and, still reeling from the lightning, sat down with a clawed hand to his head. Hisako realized he wasn't quite as birdlike as she'd initially thought; he had human legs, even ending in toes, although the nails were black. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you…" he wheezed.

"You—" Yuri clapped a hand over her mouth before she could continue.

"Remember what we said about talking to monsters?"

"Monster? ...Oh," he said with a sad sound of realization. Something about that rang familiar. Inanna sat down next to him, and her curiosity faded into something warmer, an odd feeling from her usually aggressive Persona. "I suppose you have not seen me like this in… For some time."

"Who are you?" Hisako asked after yanking Yuri's hand away.

"Dumuzi. If there were one memory I wish I could restore to you, it would be of me, my beloved wife. Every time you use such distant tones with me is another wound on my heart, and it's getting more difficult to bear," he said with a voice full of raw sorrow. Even Inanna echoed it and shifted closer to him.

Hisako tried to reconcile her image of the well-dressed man with the tall figure in front of her. He had horns in common with his sister. But aside from his eyes, the way they crinkled with that sad look of his, there weren't many similarities between— _did he just say wife?_

She was aware Yuri and Suzuka were staring at her. "U-Uh, did you just say…?"

"Yes, we were wed," Dumuzi said with a smile that showed a sliver of blackened teeth beneath his beak-like nose. Everything about the creature seemed black. That fit in with his dark suit and human hair, but the arm-like wings, horns, and elongated figure still threw her for a loop.

She resolutely did _not_ think about what else she'd just discovered. "R-Right, so Dumuzi! You, uh, yes. I didn't recognize you down here. This is what you really look like…?"

"What else would I look like?" he asked, puzzled. Inanna found that humorous for some reason.

"Did you know—" Yuri began but it was her turn to cover his mouth. She caught Suzuka waggling her eyebrows at her out of her peripheral vision.

"You're down here looking for your sister, right?"

"Yes, and you. I had the feeling that if Ngeshtin-ana had returned to Irkalla, she had captured another human soul again. I was not wrong."

"No, and it's a friend of ours. Her name is Mika and we're here to rescue her. Would you help us?"

"Of course, my dear."

"Are we _really_ going to trust a giant bird monster?" Yuri hissed around her fingers.

"We already trust a lion-headed monster and Inanna's zombie twin sister. Besides, I know Dumuzi. He only wants to stop his sister."

"If Hisako-chan trusts him, then I'm game. Hey, you can fight, right?" Suzuka called over her shoulder.

"I have some combat skills."

"There we go! Now, back to this loot. What did you want to freeze the horse mask for?"

"Oh, um. Inanna, bufula please…?" To her immense relief, her Persona obeyed and froze it solid. As an answer, she broke off as many pieces of the spikes as she could. "Metal gets brittle when it's frozen! And these pieces are small but sort of sharp, so I was thinking they could work as throwing knives, until we find something better. After all, we just need it to stick into things and conduct your electricity, right?"

"I'm _so_ on board for making our own knives!" Suzuka screeched and dove into the small pile Hisako had created. She ended up with cuts all over, but it didn't hamper her spirit. They broke the mask into as many pieces as they could, began winding bandages around what they deemed the handles for a better grip, and Yuri watched their glee with dismay.

"You can't just _make_ weapons!"

"If you'd like, I could straighten those for you," Dumuzi piped up. Yuri gave him a bleak look.

As he took their would-be knives and turned them over in his claws, Hisako realized he simply wasn't black: he was like coal. His arms glowed a dull orange up to his elbows and the heat he put off could be felt even from where they stood.

"A bufu would be fine for cooling these back off," he said with a smile as he offered them. Inanna blew frost on them before Hisako took them again.

"Fire guy! Cool, we needed one of those," Suzuka said, but Hisako could tell it was with forced enthusiasm. She must have arrived at the same realization: if he had fire magic, he had Inanna at a disadvantage. She wanted to trust his help, but that worried her. And with Inanna still practically mooning over him, the dissonance between her feelings and her Persona's made her queasy.

They walked on in silence. Dumuzi straightened the blades, the girls worked on wrapping the handles with cloth, and Yuri acted as a grumpy pack mule. Monsters gave them a wider berth with the tall creature accompanying them, but there were still ones that tried to fight them. Dumuzi took care of most of them with a frightening ease. Inanna was still not worried and Hisako's unease grew.

 _He has fire magic and he's demonstrated he's stronger than any of us, and she's still not concerned about that? She must trust him a lot._ Inanna was normally prouder than that. The marriage dynamic, sickeningly, sweetly heavy in her mind, cast her past interactions with him in a new light.

By the time they were done, Suzuka had ten knives. They weren't quite uniform and they weren't balanced, but they were sharp and metal. She practiced throwing them as they went. It became clear immediately that she was not good at throwing knives and the makeshift blades themselves weren't helping.

It took the group some time to find their shortcut. Suzuka wasn't much better with her new weapon by then, Yuri was twice as jittery as normal, and Hisako was about to be sick from her concern mixed with Inanna's continued, constant warmth. Not even the monsters could provide suitable distraction.

"Why do you call magic the weird names?" Yuri blurted, loud in the stillness between rare monsters. Dumuzi actually jumped. It was terrible of her to think, but she had actually been waiting for him to break the silence.

"Those are the proper names," he replied with a nervous ruffle of his feathers.

He looked like he might have continued, but at that moment, Hisako doubled over to vomit. Yuri could fix the external issues, but her internal war of emotions wasn't as easy to fix.

"Are you okay?!" Suzuka asked, halfway on top of Tiamat to avoid the mess.

"My dear, are you unwell? Poisoned?"

"Poisoned by sappiness, maybe," she grumbled under her breath.

"Now you know how I feel," Yuri replied, just as quietly.

"Inanna, leave for a moment. _Please_." She didn't give her Persona a chance to argue and pulled on their mental connection as hard as she could. The giant warrior blinked out of existence and Hisako heaved a sigh as her mind was finally, blessedly free of contrary opinions.

"Hey, bird man, mind going on ahead to scout out the area? We'll take care of her and meet up with you." Suzuka said it with a smile, but it was anything but a request. Dumuzi shuffled off pathetically. He was barely out of sight before she dismissed Tiamat and ran over. "Holy jitter bugs, are you okay?"

"Do you even listen to yourself sometimes?" Yuri asked.

Suzuka stared pointedly up at Enlil. The other two followed her gaze with confusion. "Mind giving us some privacy?" she asked.

"Oh. Sure—"

"Not you! Him!" she said quickly and caught him by the arm. Yuri craned his head back to look at his Persona, who scowled. Enlil disappeared with a swirl of wind. "Okay, so why'd we get rid of our Personas?"

"You didn't know?" he demanded.

"You two didn't have to. Inanna was… She has a lot of feelings for Dumuzi. I've never had her out in front of him before, so I'd never noticed. It was just draining, that's all. Sorry," she finished with a mumble, wiping her mouth.

"You don't have to apologize! Sheesh, I thought it was something horrible again," Suzuka said and collapsed against her in a hug. "...Are we okay with Dumuzi, then?"

"He's useful, but I don't trust him," Yuri added.

"He's been helpful, but then again… Only because he sees _me_ as Inanna, I think." That gave her chills just recalling it. _His wife_. It did explain the comfort she took in his presence, however; Inanna was really only ever _gone_ from her in the Velvet Room. "Well, we could use the help with his sister, at any rate. Maybe we can put a stop to this once and for all. He hasn't hurt anyone."

"We'll have to hope it stays that way."

"It'll be fine! We have Ereshkigal to call in if we gotta take care of him, remember?"

Hisako rubbed at her bracelet. "I suppose." She didn't _want_ to take care of him. With Inanna gone and her emotions her own again, she was surprised to find the trust remained. Surely, if he wanted them out of the picture, he would have done so already.

"Oi! Bird man! Your wifey says you can come back now!" Suzuka yelled into the maze. Dumuzi peeked around a corner not seconds later.

"Don't encourage him," Yuri said, for which Hisako was grateful. "Come on, we're moving again."

They pressed onward, but not with the same silence as before. Suzuka chatted with Dumuzi, asking him everything he knew about the world they'd been dunked into. None of them summoned their Personas back right away. Yuri watched with a hooded gaze as Dumuzi took care of enemy after enemy, eager to please. "They're called shadows. None of you are newcomers to Irkalla at this point, so you ought to know your foes."

"Educate your wifey and her friends," Suzuka said, batting her lashes up at him. He seemed mildly terrified by that.

Dumuzi continued to explain things regardless. There were actually seven types of magic, not the four they were aware of: ice, wind, lightning, and fire, but also light, dark, and almighty. "They're quite rare, especially in an age of waning belief like now. I would be surprised if any of you were still capable of anything but basic elemental spells. But shadows, those born of humanity, may well be still capable of such feats."

Dark and light magic were especially dangerous, and he stressed that repeatedly to Hisako. Beyond that, there were more passive uses for magic, such as protective spells or ones to increase strength or speed. There were also attacks that could confuse, charm, frighten, anger, and more, which she didn't like. They had already encountered confusion and charm, and neither had been pleasant.

Suzuka surprised him by asking, "So what do you know about Tiamat? About me?"

And Dumuzi surprised all three of them with his response. "Ah, I have not… I don't know very much, only that which I've heard secondhand. It is a shock but an honor to meet you like this, though I with circumstances were fairer to us both."

"Why does everyone act scared of Tiamat?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Well, she is a very large snake Persona," Hisako pointed out. Who may or may not be believed dead.

"What do you know about Enlil?" Yuri asked with grudging curiosity.

Dumuzi averted his eyes and seemed to be struggling to stop himself from grimacing. After a long pause, he curtly told him, "I am pleased you are helping Inanna _this_ time." Yuri and Hisako looked at each other, mouthing ' _this time_ ' together.

"So there's totally entire stories and histories surrounding these things, huh?" Suzuka asked.

"They really believe we _are_ … whoever we're…" Hisako trailed off as she came to the realization. Just to be sure, she looked up at Dumuzi with her sternest expression. "We're real, right? This is all real?"

"Yes, of course."

"Guys, after we rescue Mika-chan, we're going to do a _lot_ of googling."

"Why? Wait—"

"—You think this is _real_?"

Hisako flapped a hand up at a miffed Dumuzi. "Something's real in all this, and they're supposed to be deities, right? I bet there are legends surrounding them. I bet somewhere, this was some culture's mythology or religion. Just like Izanagi or Izanami, something we can research. Maybe it'll help with figuring out what to do."

"Of course this is real," the feathered maybe-god pouted.

It hadn't quite ever crossed her mind that they were _actually_ gods and goddesses that had existed. Or still existed. Maybe it was her unfamiliarity with the source material, so to speak, but having their _Personas_ be parts of it threw her off. Igor and the twins had repeatedly told her that Personas were parts of her soul, a manifestation of some part of her psyche, so how was that exactly related to deities?

Her thoughts were put on hold when they came to the door leading down to the next floor. It was ajar. "Finally," Suzuka said, pretending to be exasperated. But she could see how she was gripping her shoddy weapons tightly. Yuri's face had drained of all color.

Thanks to Dumuzi's help, they weren't exhausted, but her feet were already beginning to hurt and it had been slow progress without skates. They had to go on anyway. Putting on a brave face, Hisako pushed the door open wide and started walking downward in one movement. As usual, the stairs spiraled and it seemed to get dimmer, though not to a point where they couldn't see. It could make distances tricky, however, and that made her nervous.

Her worries were groundless. As the passageway opened up into the third floor of Irkalla, everything brightened. She had almost gotten used to the gloom. Suzuka let out a low, long whistle as they stopped short, taking in the latest labyrinth before them.

It was brighter because there was nothing to hide the light sources; the walls and floors were an even mix of glass and mirrors. Every surface was some level of reflective, but mixed in with the translucent walls, it warped any sense of distance or depth. She heard Yuri curse under his breath.

"This is… something. But we're here now," Suzuka said but made no move to start forward.

"We are. And we'll rescue Mika-chan, same as usual, even if this place gives us a headache. At least we'll be able to see her once we get close." It might have been her imagination, but she fancied she could see a human-sized speck in the maze.

Gripping her stick, Hisako strode out into the first hallway, lined by reflections. Dumuzi stuck close to her side, although from concern or his own fears, she wasn't sure. A pair of hyenas raced by on the glass wall side, two or three hallways over. Suzuka followed after a moment, and the girls looked back at Yuri expectantly.

"I. She. _I_." His words came out sounding strangled. He ran a hand over his face, seemed to steel himself, and then told them flatly, "Be careful of the mirrored floors. Figures she'd have something like that."

Hisako squawked and snapped her legs together, and Suzuka laughed but pressed herself closer to the glass side. "True test of trust here, huh? C'mere, Kikuchi, let's have you closer to the front." She went back to drag him in behind them with an evil grin.

Three figures burst through the mirrored wall, showering them all with sharp shards. Hisako glimpsed a spindly figure in a nurse uniform, flanked by multi-headed dogs dripping fire, and then Dumuzi pulled her roughly back against him. Suzuka whirled around and Enlil appeared with a gust, just as one of the hounds launched a jet of fire at them. Hisako reached out for them on reflex and Dumuzi's wings closed over her the next moment.

It all went black in his feathers.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Dog Lover social link has ranked up! The Tower arcana has reached rank 3.


	13. Megidola

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a bird quavers and a Tower falls.

"They're dead. You can stop now." _Please stop_ , he added for himself, unable to vocalize that part to her.

Chest heaving as she stood over the still bodies, Suzuka refused to look at him. She and Tiamat killed the majority of them with a ferocity that unnerved him. Yuri had known that she was the more offensively built between them, and he was alright with that, but very rarely had he been alone with her.

_Our Personas are_ , he corrected himself, scared by that as well. _The Personas are built differently..._

"Where did he take her?" Suzuka asked quietly and she still did not make eye contact.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure what direction they went in." Everything had happened at once. At first, he had thought Hisako had hidden to escape the fire, but then he'd noticed Dumuzi was missing, too.

"He thinks they're _married_." She spat the word like a curse. Balling her hands into fists, she bit out, "I know she trusts him, and he seems like a good guy, but he thinks she's his wife. Who knows what he…" She trailed off and looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes. Black blood was evaporating off her cheek.

"That means he'll protect her. I don't think—I don't _want_ to think about anything else."

"Because romance saves, right?" a new voice mocked.

Suzuka leapt back towards Tiamat and Yuri whirled around to find Mika reclining in the air. Her hair had come out of its bun, and the ends were already black. He saw her horns for the first time: thick, swooping, bullish things jutting out from either side of her head, ending in too-sharp of points.

She rolled scarlet eyes and gestured back towards the exit. "Be good little pretties and save your—"

With a running leap, Suzuka caught her in a crushing hug. They drooped in the air, settling lower, but still floating. For a moment, Mika looked like herself, shocked and uncomfortable with the contact. "Mika-chan, I'm so glad you're okay, I was really worried!" Suzuka said and pressed her face into the crook of her neck.

Yuri wasn't sure Hisako had warned her about Mika's appearance in Irkalla. He certainly hadn't. "Uh, Sakuraba? That's not exactly Mika right now…" he said cautiously, eyes on their horned classmate, not wanting to anger her.

"Who or what else would I be? Or do I not _look_ right to you?" she asked.

"The black tips and red eyes don't do it for me. The horns are a definite step backwards."

"The good news is that I _don't care_ what you think!" Mika wrapped her arms around Suzuka and they floated a little higher. Yuri was not certain if that was a step better or worse. "You can find the exit on your own, I'll take her back myself."

"We don't want the exit!" Suzuka exclaimed into her shoulder. Pulling her head back, she smiled and told her, "We're here for _you_. And now that I've got you, we're good!"

He wasn't sure about that, either. Mika still had Ngeshtin-ana problems and he wasn't sure how to fix that. But if they _could_ pin her, not waste their time with the maze, then it sounded great to him.

"Let go of me!" Mika squealed, somersaulting through the air, but the other stubbornly held on. "I will not tolerate your manhandling!"

"You're still enough of yourself for this to be an easy fix," Yuri decided, and grabbed her foot as they tumbled past. Enlil's alarm stung him, but why _wasn't_ that a good plan of attack? His Persona should have more faith in him. Or stop being sentient. He was fine with that. "Let's go find Fujihara, and then we can get out of here."

"You blinded, ignorant fools! I'm trying to give you the chance to save yourselves from her!" Mika howled. A flash, and Yuri's face abruptly became acquainted with the ground. He heard a thump and found Suzuka laying just in front of him, groaning and dazed. Enlil had disappeared with the blast. Behind them, hair (blackened further) flaring out angrily and actually _glowing_ , Mika stood on a mirrored wall. "If you don't love yourselves enough to save yourselves, then I won't help you. Let you destroy yourselves in a twisted sense of loyalty to someone who's just using you."

"Sh-She's not using us!" Suzuka called, slurring and holding her head. "She's... our friend, just like you... are…" Eyelids fluttering, she managed one more pleading look up at Mika before slumping to the floor.

"...You're our friend. Just like Fujihara and just like Sakuraba thinks you are. I know how this all must feel to you—I _know_ this feels great. Endless. It makes you feel powerful, right?" Yuri said. He kept his eyes on her while he crawled over to Suzuka. Breathing, not bleeding, but out. Great.

"I _am_ powerful," Mika said, lip curled.

"Okay, but it's not _your_ power. It's a lie. She's trying to trick you, trap you down here so she can escape herself."

"Why should I care? What does the world above offer me that I don't have down here?"

That brought him up short. The closest things she had to close friends were already in Irkalla with her—fear gripped him and he hoped she didn't want to trap them, too. It wasn't as if she valued many other things. Her family was out of the question. School was just a distraction. She probably already had half a dozen pet monster dogs.

"A future," he said, scared of her reaction.

Worse than anger or shock, she didn't react. Mika stared impassively down at him.

Biting the bullet, desperate for it to end happily, Yuri told her, "I'll get you your damn dog! Please, just let us help you get out of this."

With that in particular, he expected fury. It had driven a wedge between them for two years, after all. But she did not get angry. Black traveled further up her hair, and her red eyes were suddenly blinking rapidly. "You…" she began with a quaver. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she shouted, "You liar!"

She disappeared. Yuri felt miserable. "That should have gone better," he said to the mirrors and glass.

Suzuka unconscious, Hisako alone with Dumuzi, and Mika… Hisako had said they had to shock them, get them to drop their guard. He didn't have any heavier ammo.

-.-.-

"My friends were still back there! They could be in danger!" Hisako shouted, hands balled into fists. Hitting Dumuzi wouldn't help. The way he quailed under her anger didn't help. She wasn't accustomed to being violent, but it came too easily when faced with that sight. "You took me, without my permission, from my friends! My allies in this hell! _Why_ did you do that?!"

"Please, Inanna, I only wished to help you," he croaked. The tall creature was outright cowering in front of her, but even kneeling, he was taller. He had to bend over at an impossible angle to make himself smaller than the blonde in front of him.

"Why did you think that would help me?!"

"I don't see why you trust them!"

"They're my _friends_!"

He stared at her for a long time. Fear and tension slowly drained out of the hard lines in his body as he unbent his back and brought his wings down. "They're… _your_ friends."

Her own anger bled away. "Yes. And I would feel better having them with us again. We're not as strong as you are, not yet, I know that, but we work well as a team, and I don't want them without me. I'm worried."

"We can find them again," he said, though whether his softer tone was meant to sound soothing or conceding, she wasn't sure. "I do not know precisely where they are now, but I will help you to the best of my abilities. As always, my dear."

"...Thank you."

She had done the alone routine before in Irkalla, and had become used to silence in the moments before Yuri would break them. Neither was like being alone with Dumuzi. She didn't see the point of having Inanna at the ready when he was _so_ quick to defend her. He would blaze forward to destroy any monsters—shadows—before she even knew they were there. He'd incinerate things with, if not efficiency, then enthusiasm.

It took her a little while (at first confused by the way he'd turn back to her with bright eyes and a wide, charcoal smile) to realize he was trying to _impress_ her.

_Well, they are married. Is this how deities dote on each other?_ she thought, unsure if he wanted to comment on it or try to encourage it. _Actually, I suppose it is…_ Much of what she recalled about Japanese gods and goddesses included a lot of violence, even in the midst of love.

Dumuzi dug out a shining necklace from the dissipating corpse of a nurse shadow. He offered it to Hisako with another one of his smiles.

As much as she hated to admit it, it was incredibly endearing. And the necklace seemed to be real pearls, too.

"Where does all of this stuff come from?" she asked as she stowed it in her backpack.

"Oysters, isn't it?" he said with a confused frown.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, why do they sometimes leave things?"

"...You have belongings, too, don't you?"

"Why do they _have_ belongings."

"I suppose their wills were stronger." Something about that registered as weird with her, but she didn't put it together until, in a thoughtful tone, he added, "Maybe these objects are perhaps cherished objects they had when they died? I do not know enough about burial customs in recent centuries, so I—"

Hisako bit back a scream as she scrambled away from her backpack. "Th-Those things belonged to _dead people_?! Why do the monsters have them!"

He went back to his confused frown in no time flat. "What monsters?"

She looked about, and then pointed to a gryphon stalking past two corridors over.

"That's a shadow," he said, and then the realization dawned over his face. "They… look like _monsters_ to you?"

For the first time, the look he gave her was not one of eagerness, gentle sorrow, or bafflement; his mouth twisted downward and his eyes narrowed and the only word she could think of was _disgust_.

But before she could process that, he smoothed out his expression and turned from her. "These shadows are born of humanity, I told you. They are manifestations of the dark, repressed sides of humanity, and sometimes, strong-willed human feelings produce specific shadows, or worse. These leftover wills likely create the objects you have been hoarding so greedily."

It felt like the bottom of her stomach dropped out. Trying to keep her voice even, ignoring the way she burned with shame at the scolding tone he was using on her, she asked, "S-So Irkalla… traps all of these mo—shadows down here? Don't they ever bother you o-or your sister, or Ereshkigal?"

"They mostly fight amongst themselves. The spirits can avoid them easily enough as well, and it's not as if this level of shadow is a threat to me or my sister. Or yours."

"...Spirits?" she echoed.

Dumuzi shot her a glance over his shoulder that very closely mirrored his earlier one. "You _are_ in the land of the dead. Who do you think created all of the shadows?"

"I… hadn't thought… I-I mean, I haven't seen any… g-ghosts?" she stammered out.

He actually sighed in exasperation as he turned back around to face her. She didn't like these new emotions of his. He squatted down, looked her in the eye, and told her, "You aren't strong enough to see them yet. You're still growing in power, and it will come again with time. Be patient until then, my dear Inanna."

He stood back up and shuffled off. She tottered after him, her backpack suddenly feeling much heavier. So it was actually, really, truly _real_. They were dealing with existing deities, they were in the _land of the dead_ , and unseen, there were spirits of the dead floating all around them. And the spirits' negative feelings were creating the monsters that _weren't_ monsters that they were fighting and destroying.

They were in over their heads.

She was not given any more time to dwell on that. As they turned a corner, through a narrow channel of glass wall upon glass wall, she caught sight of two human figures. With a wordless shout, she rushed to the clear wall, pressing up against it and waving her arms wildly. Yuri caught sight of the movement and slowed, then beckoned Suzuka back into view, and they both waved back.

"Dumuzi! My friends, they're over there!" Hisako exclaimed, banging her fists on the glass.

He leaned over her to look. "So they are. But, my dear, we cannot break these walls of Irkalla."

"But they're _right there_ …!"

"These walls, we can." He moved across the hallway, shoving his leg through a mirrored section of the wall without any real effort. He delicately pulled his foot back through, shaking off shards with a small, sheepish grin. The return of his affection reassured her almost as much as seeing her friends.

Hisako ran down the hallway and swung her staff at the nearest section of mirrors. It didn't crack until her second swing. She was sweating and panting by the time she broke through it, only to find that it led down a corridor in a direction she didn't want.

She picked at a scab on her arm until she was bleeding enough to summon Inanna back. Immediately, the rush of warmth nauseated her. "We need to break the mirrors until we can get closer to Yuri-kun and Suzuka-chan," she muttered, holding her stomach as if that'd help her. She was already running on empty, so why did she still feel so bad?

Dumuzi's expression became a little more adoring and Inanna oozed lust in response.

Hisako felt her cheeks heat up and smacked her Persona on her boot. Revolting. "Don't send all those feelings to me, keep them to yourself. And break mirrors while making eyes at your husband."

Inanna preened in her pride, but obediently swung her blue staff at the nearest mirror wall. It shattered with one blow. Hisako gingerly sat down, watching as the pair worked in tandem to try to find a way closer. Between all of the bright flashes of magic and sparkling reflections, she could see Yuri and Suzuka, doing the same on their end.

She had a growing headache from all of the glass and reflections, and Inanna's feelings were only making it worse. The convoluted layout of the maze meant they were wasting a lot of time and energy trying to get to each other, too, even if it was a little gratifying to _see_ the progress they were making.

She figured it took maybe an hour to finally break into a hallway that matched theirs. She stumbled when she tried to run to them, but they reached her at full pelt, sending her sprawling.

"Oh my gosh, you're okay! Even with that guy, you're totally okay!" Suzuka cried into the crook of her neck.

"You _are_ okay, right?" Yuri asked sharply as he tried to pry them apart long enough to look her over.

"I'm fine. Dumuzi did most of the work for me." She snaked an arm free from Suzuka's crushing hug and wound it around his waist, pulling him against their sides. "How are you two? I'm glad to see you."

"You sound exhausted," he maintained.

"I am. Aren't you two? You didn't have a god playing doting husband."

Suzuka and Yuri shared an unsubtle look. "Just fine!" the redhead chirped. "Okay, we're tired, too, and Kikuchi is barely on his feet. _Please_ tell him to take that water thing, he won't listen to me!"

"I don't need it—"

"What would Mika-chan say if she knew you were being irresponsible as our only healer?" Suzuka asked sunnily.

He actually flinched at that. Hisako chuckled in sympathy and let him go when he tried to slink out of the hug. They pooled their resources, and they hadn't been kidding; Yuri had burned through the only bottles of magic water they had, and Hisako had the last one. She didn't hesitate in handing over hers. He argued, but the girls held him down long enough to convince him to drink it if he didn't want it spilled down his shirtfront.

Color returned to his cheeks and Enlil looked a little more lively behind him. But Hisako still felt terrible, and Suzuka had an indescribable edge to her voice that betrayed how she struggled to keep it together. They had been in Irkalla too long, even with Dumuzi's help clearing out shadows. And they had no idea how close they were to Mika.

"I… have to pull Inanna back," Hisako mumbled before they started moving again. She rubbed at her temples, which did little to soothe her headache. "I'll use her if we need her, but I can't have her on alert. Sorry…"

"It's totally okay! I don't think any of us need our Personas out if he's still guarding us," Suzuka said with an expectant look up at the birdlike creature. He jerked his head in a nod.

"We got ambushed earlier…"

"We'll stick close together. Hold hands, right?"

"What about our weapons?"

"Hisako-chan's on one end, I'm on the other. I think we're all bleeding enough now we don't have to worry about summoning our Personas back."

She thought she'd meant it as a joke, and Yuri had clearly been hoping so, but even Suzuka's jokes were serious. Hisako found herself holding Yuri's hand, her staff clenched in her other, as they followed Dumuzi through the dizzying maze. Suzuka was swinging his other hand, their fingers entwined, and she held one of her last knifes. She'd explained that she only had two left; as it turned out, they really had been pretty shoddy weapons.

_Wasteful_ , Hisako chided herself. They had wasted magic and time on those, and what did they know about making weapons?

"Is this really necessary?" Yuri complained. Dumuzi made a little sound in front of them and swiftly covered his mouth with his claws. Yuri narrowed his eyes up at his back. "Did you just laugh at me?"

His patience was waning thin, she could tell. Her own was likewise evaporating with every step they took. "C'mon, guys, it can't be much further! And look at all this stuff we're getting!"

"We would have gotten more if someone could run," Yuri hissed under his breath. Dumuzi had been unable to chase one of the crying shadows. Another vial of its tears would've been a godsend.

"Don't blame him," Hisako mumbled back. Inanna pressed at her brain, right up against the throbbing part, insisting on defending him. Hisako struggled to push back. She was more and more expressive with Dumuzi there, but it wasn't just that. She hadn't been so aggressive on the second level.

She wouldn't admit it, but she spent a fair bit of their back-and-forth journey in the labyrinth with her eyes closed. It was simple following Dumuzi's footsteps, and with Yuri beside her, it was easy to keep on the right track. It was getting more difficult to tell glass from mirror, but that was probably just a trick on her eyes. She hoped.

_We need a method of telling time down here_ , she thought, cracking an eye open as a tug on her hand meant they were going around a corner.

"That's _it_!" Yuri shouted suddenly, startling her. Dumuzi puffed up as he whirled around in surprise, too. Only Suzuka stared curiously at him, unfazed. He wrenched his hand free from the redhead, then the blonde, and then pulled her stick from her grasp. Enlil burst into existence in front of him. "Start smashing mirrors!" he yelled and ran at the nearest.

"That's just a waste of energy!" Hisako called, wincing as he bounced off without cracking it. "Please, don't—"

"It's a waste if we can't _get_ to her!" he snapped.

She expected Suzuka on her side. Instead, Tiamat appeared and struck down the mirror he was working on. "I like the way you're thinking!" Suzuka said with a grin and she and her Persona went to down on the next corridor over.

Dumuzi crouched down beside Hisako as they watched her friends demolish as much of the maze as they could. "I still believe that you have chosen very strange allies, my dear. But at least they are enthusiastic."

"Sick of this place, more like. We're all tired, and I'm not sure how good it is for Mika to be down here so long… Would you help them, please? We need to get to the end of this floor as soon as we can. I'm not sure how much longer we can wander."

"Of course."

Yuri and Suzuka barely scrambled out of the way as a jet of fire melted a length of mirror in front of them. Hisako glared at Dumuzi's back, but mustering the energy for anything else was difficult. As she followed the path they broke through the maze, it occurred to her that they had little idea of what direction to head in.

Yuri handed her back her staff with an apologetic mumble. Suzuka, wiping her brow, whistled. "Dude can go to town when he feels like it, huh? How come _he's_ not tiring out…?"

"He must be used to this sort of atmosphere. He does… He's supposed to live down here."

"And he's apparently a god," Yuri deadpanned.

She thought about bringing up what she'd learned about Irkalla, but it took a quick backseat when a feminine shriek came from around the next corner. The kids tripped over themselves to catch up with Dumuzi, and came upon him staring down Mika, nearly all black-haired, and covered in cuts from the mirror pieces. "Br-Brother," she choked out. She cast a fearful look over them as they approached. "And _you_."

"Mika-chan!" Hisako barely caught Suzuka as she lunged for her.

She didn't catch Yuri. "Mika!"

She looked particularly stricken at his advance and jumped up, straight into the air. "Stay back!"

From her spot, she could see that they had broken into the wide, open area that signalled the end of the floor. She supposed they had been circling around long enough they _had_ to have been close, but relief flooded her chest nonetheless. It made the headache a little better.

"Sister, you know what they're here for," Dumuzi said quietly.

"They're here to ruin my world and lie to me!" Mika yelped and fled further into the open area.

"Wait!" Hisako called before either of her classmates could follow her. They turned to her with matching expressions of confusion. "We have to think about this. We need a plan."

"Do you normally have plans?" Suzuka asked.

"Not really," Yuri replied with a shrug. "And I'm surprised you're forcing the issue now. We already have her cornered, unless she tries to go back out into the maze…"

"We have Dumuzi with us. And we're exhausted. I think we should keep both of those in mind."

"Well then, use his firepower to keep her pinned and we talk some sense into her, right? Don't see how it's all that different from normal."

"You don't really know what our normal is…" he muttered. It was Suzuka's turn to shrug at him.

"That's fine, I just wanted to make sure you two don't go running into trouble," Hisako said, but her eyes were on Yuri. "We need you ready to heal in case any of us gets hurt. You told me to ask when I wanted that, and I do, now. You know the most about Mika-chan, too, so we'll be relying on you a lot."

"I already knew that," he replied, visibly uncomfortable.

"Then we're all up to speed! Yo, Dumuzi, your wifey wants you to help us take down your sister!" Suzuka shouted, turning up to the tall figure.

But Dumuzi was gone.

Hisako felt a jolt and she wasn't sure if it was her own shock or Inanna's. Peering out into the open space, there was only the figure of Mika, floating near the closed door, and no sign of him. He hadn't passed them, and they were up against a dead end on the other side.

"Of course. It's up to us, then. As usual." Yuri marched over the broken and melted mirror and into Mika's space. The girls had no real choice but to follow him. Dumuzi's disappearance would have to come secondary, but at least it meant she could use Inanna without the differing feelings.

"Mika-chan, we're back! For you, again, no escaping this time!" Suzuka called. She summoned Tiamat and started breaking away from Yuri, to Hisako's initial alarm, until she saw she was heading for the actual exit from the maze. She got in between them, and then started her approach.

"Liars! Deceivers! Traitors!" Mika howled, voice carrying over the empty space.

On some level, Hisako had been afraid of that. If she had carried too many negative emotions concerning Yuri into Irkalla with her… "We're here to save you! All three of us!" she shouted back.

"You're here to ruin this for me, too!"

"We're not here to ruin anything!" Suzuka exclaimed. Tiamat slowly unwound through the air, her thundercloud rumbling as she moved. "Just to knock some sense into you!"

"You hate me! You hate yourselves! You want to ruin this _one_ , good thing I have here!" Mika screamed, and with that, it seemed as if they'd gotten close enough for her to start attacking. She flung her arm out, and a burst of white magic followed it. Hisako barely threw herself out of the way in time. That had been no sort of magic she recognized.

"It's not a good thing! That lady, she lied to you! She's using you, hoping to trap you down here in her place, and you won't gain anything she promised you!"

Mika lashed out at Suzuka, but Tiamat took the attack straight-on as she lunged into it. The smell of charred flesh was quickly overridden by ozone as Suzuka used her proximity to throw a bolt of lightning straight at the horned girl. Mika shrieked as it connected but didn't seem much worse for wear as the smoke cleared.

"You vile, ugly, lying snake! What do _you_ know about what I have down here?" she spat. Even Suzuka reeled at the venom in her tone. Mika rounded on Yuri, who had stayed uncharacteristically silent during their approach.

But she didn't say anything to him. She just glared.

"Mika-chan, this place isn't for us, or for you. You're not a goddess—you don't have power down here. She's just giving you some to trick you into thinking it until she can possess your body for herself," Hisako told her, giving Yuri a pleading look of her own. One hand raised defensively, she tentatively reached out towards him with her other.

"She's right," he said, quietly, but Mika jerked back at the sound of his voice, raising her arms over her head with a cry. Yuri halted. Hisako copied him, arms still raised. "You're being tricked, and lied to, and I thought you hated that?"

"I-I do, of course I do!"

"And I thought you wanted to do this on your own power."

"I will! This _is_ my own power now."

He shook his head, shaggy hair flying. Mika's red eyes followed the movement, and Hisako racked her brain trying to scrape up with enough information to use against her without unduly involving Yuri. She didn't know anything about her home life, or her hobbies, or her fears. She liked dogs and worried too much and had issues sorting out her own emotions. None of that helped her.

She hated to rely on Yuri so heavily, but she had little other choice until either she or Suzuka stumbled onto something. "Yuri-kun, keep talking to her. Suzuka-chan and I will handle the attacking."

He didn't answer her, but Suzuka nodded to her right. Cracking her knuckles, she declared, "Time for some tough love, madame representative."

Twin assaults of lightning and ice hit her and threw her back against the massive door. Mika's eyes flashed as she stood back up. There was a bit of blood at the corner of her grin. "Tough love, as if there are any other kinds!"

"Freeze her down! Bufula!" Hisako called and stuck her staff up to catch the edge of the magic.

Mika darted out of the way, but dodged immediately back to avoid another electric strike—right into the ice magic Hisako threw. It froze her to the ground, from the knee-down, but the black-haired girl just laughed as she broke herself free in seconds.

"Mika, _look_ at this! You're standing in the middle of nothing, and your own friends are yelling at how stupid you are! Doesn't that ring any warning bells?" Yuri asked, getting as close as he dared.

"Keep her pinned here!" Suzuka called and Tiamat answered with another clap of thunder.

"This would be a lot easier if I could _hear_ myself over all this! Do you want me to keep talking to her or not?" he snapped.

In a voice that was abruptly not her own, Mika asked, "Why bother?"

"Wh-What the hell?" Suzuka asked, taking a step back.

"Why _are_ any of you bothering to do this? I didn't ask you to. You're getting in the way of what I want—don't you want your friend to receive the happiness she deserves?" Mika pressed in that same wrong voice. "She's the only one who seems to care enough about what _she_ wants, but she had never imagined you would _turn_ on her…"

"Th-That's not Mika-chan anymore, is it?" Hisako wasn't sure who she was asking. Mika's hair was completely black, her eyes had been red since they'd found her, and her voice had changed, too. She wasn't sure how many more markers they needed to know they had to wrap that up, and _fast_.

"Of course it's still her!" Yuri cried out, clearly panicked.

"We can beat down Mika-ana just as well as regular Mika-chan!" Suzuka said and Tiamat struck her with another crackling bolt of electricity. It connected cleanly; for a terrifying moment, Hisako had wondered if they were suddenly outclassed physically, too. Inanna followed her with another sharp spear of ice.

"That's still Mika!" Yuri shouted.

"Of course I am," Mika said, her deep voice both soothing and mocking. "Who else do I look like? Who else could rule this place as well as she could?"

"Stop with the freaky pronoun switching, then!" Suzuka demanded, an edge of panic seeping into her words as well.

"Inanna, keep up the assault! Yuri-kun, we need _anything_ to get through to her."

"Enlil can help fight her—"

"We don't need more firepower, we need to get her acknowledging she's _her_ again!" Hisako interrupted harshly.

He scowled, but rounded back on their friend. "Mika, this place isn't for you! Up above—okay, it's a shitty place! But you have a spot there, too!"

"Liar!" Mika screeched as she jumped out of the way of one of Inanna's attacks. She then used it as a springboard to push herself out of the way of Tiamat's follow-up.

Hisako's heart leapt up into her throat when she realized she was running for it. Suzuka was already scrambling after her. "No you don't!" Inanna pursued her, but she wasn't built for speed.

Enlil, on the other hand, was. Skating across the open space, he cut Mika off easily, and blew her back towards the others with a gust. Suzuka pounced on her, but she was thrown into Hisako as she ran up. The girls untangled themselves and Enlil continued batting her back towards Yuri. By the time she skidded to a halt at his feet, she was bleeding from several wounds, her hair was knotted around her thick horns, and her chest was heaving.

They were having an effect, but not enough. As she rolled out from under Suzuka, on her hands and knees, she caught sight of the gold bracelet around her wrist.

"Mika, anything you ask. A thousand dogs, an apartment in pink, a cottage in the Alps. Anything, just please, snap out of this!"

"You have to shock her!" Hisako shouted as she fought with the bracelet. It wouldn't come off, and neither would the charms, so how was she supposed to _use_ it?

Lightning arced overhead and Mika screamed again when it hit her. Yuri jumped back in fright.

" _Not_ like that!" Hisako cried.

"Well, okay, but I'm keeping her there until someone can figure out something to say to her!"

"There is nothing any of you lying fools can say," Mika rasped, shoulders shaking violently as she tried to prop herself up. "This is my land, devoid of the problems you have sought to bring down upon me once more. Your superficial love for me has little meaning here."

"L-Love?" Yuri repeated, cheeks already red.

"Not the time!" Hisako groaned, all but chewing on the bracelet at that point.

"We _do_ love you, Mika-chan! I was so happy when you said I was your friend, don't you remember that?" Suzuka called, relenting in her attacks for the moment. Mika still hadn't gotten to her feet, much less throw anything back at them. They stood around her, the girls a safe distance away, Yuri right in front, their Personas forming a loose circle around all of them.

"I love _myself_. I have no need for yours. For anyone's," Mika growled at her.

"It's not one or the other! Friendship and love—neither are us-or-you!" Inanna, annoyance rolling off of her, knelt down beside her as she fought with the supposedly magical bracelet.

"...And sometimes, they overlap in confusing ways," Yuri said after an awkward pause. Mika turned her glower up on him. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I was distant about that."

"I care not for your human emotions."

"I got it!" Hisako said, momentarily pleased at how one of the charms had crumbled beneath an icy touch of her Persona's. Mika and Yuri turned matching, confused looks on her, which both transformed into expressions of fear as a shadow appeared over Hisako.

A wave of warmth surged from Inanna and Suzuka made an angry noise.

"Sister," Dumuzi said sadly, leaning far over the blonde to look Mika in the eye.

Wrong deity.

She trembled before him. "D-Dumuzi, why are you with _them_?"

"Where's Ereshkigal?" Hisako asked, clueless. Their heads snapped around to gape at her with horror and Yuri scrambled away from them. She looked down at the bracelet again, and one of the charms was definitely broken, so much gold dust in her hand.

"You didn't call your sister here, did you?" he asked. Mika whined low in her throat. "I asked you, I _begged_ you to allow me to handle my own blood!"

"Then handle her!" Hisako shouted, exasperated, gesturing wildly at Mika. "I'm worried she _will_ be your sister soon!"

"You said you would let me handle her," Dumuzi said, accusation and betrayal still clear as day in his eyes.

"Ereshkigal cannot come here before I have switched with this human. Brother, please." Mika seized him by his robes. Her words momentarily buoyed Hisako's hopes; she said they still had time. Enough time that she was worried about Ereshkigal interrupting her. "Brother, I have done so much for you. Please, I beg of you, do this for me."

"You can't side with her, this is your wife here!" Suzuka jumped in, slinging an arm around Hisako, shaking her a little too roughly.

Mika didn't even glance in their direction, but Dumuzi turned between them with clear, growing panic. "Brother, I came second to your love for her once. Do not do this to me again."

"You _can't_ pick your _brother_!" Suzuka yelled and Tiamat surged forward. The huge Persona's jaws slammed shut on the space where they had just been. Dumuzi was on their side, as scared as ever but unharmed. Hisako saw Mika's feet dash away from underneath the cloud beneath Tiamat. Suzuka left her side, running into the fray herself, and too late, she remembered Suzuka's own issues with her brother.

Yuri had faster reflexes or better memory. He caught Suzuka around the waist as her Persona snaked around in search of Mika. "Sakuraba, down! Mika can't take much more of this!"

"We need to talk her down, not make her panic further!" Hisako agreed. But the petite girl was fighting against his grasp, and even if he had size on her, she apparently had the muscle. "Inanna, grab Mika-chan!"

Inanna, crouched protectively near Dumuzi, scowled briefly before obediently ducking under Tiamat. "Enlil, keep them separated!" Yuri shouted just before Suzuka yanked his head down by the hair. "Ow—Is this necessary?! I'm on your side here, remember?"

"We're all on the same side!"

"Not if he's going to help that evil lady steal Mika-chan from us!"

Hisako gave Dumuzi a sharp look, but he had stayed where he fell, making no move to try to get to his sister's side. "He's going to stay over there and out of our way if he won't help us. Yuri-kun, we need something on Mika-chan. Please, anything," she said.

"She just—There's nothing I haven't already said to her. I don't know what to do." He returned her look with just as much hopelessness as she felt.

"Family life? School life? Boyfriend? We need something to pull her back up to us!" Suzuka said, and at least she was eager to stop her assault if they gave her something else to act with.

"She doesn't—" He was interrupted by Inanna throwing Mika into the middle of their huddle. Up close, she looked worse than Hisako had feared. Her hair was knotted around her horns, her red eyes blinked blearily up at her, and much of her visible skin was covered in either frost or burns.

Enlil thrust his paintbrush into their group and most of it ended up on Mika's face and shoulders. Yuri had gone very pale. "Mika-chan?" Suzuka asked cautiously, but she had tensed, ready to spring.

"Why didn't he help me?" she whispered. It was in not Ngeshtin-ana's deep voice.

" _I'll_ help you now. Please let me." Yuri threw his arms around her, craned his neck to avoid the sharp point of her horn, and buried his face in her pitch black hair. Mika went rigid. Blood cut through the mint paint on her face, dripping out of her nose and down her lips and chin.

Something about that rang as a warning in her mind, but it didn't process before she was knocked back. She half-landed on Suzuka, and as she whipped her head back up, she found a tall figure standing behind Mika's silhouette. It was feminine, taller than Enlil and Inanna combined, cloaked in an unadorned white dress and opaque veil, which hung down from a crown of some sort of flowers and concealed its face entirely.

It was there for one bright flash of a moment, and then, the image cracked, and it was gone again, making everything seem dark by comparison.

Mika didn't stir for a long moment and the figure didn't reappear. Hisako's heart clenched. But then, she moved, and she got to her feet—a large woman with an unruly mass of black curls and tired, red eyes stood up out of Mika's body, on her own, not pulled by a Persona.

Ngeshtin-ana turned her gaze on them. At her feet, Mika didn't move.

Electricity lanced into her at the same moment they were all sent tumbling again, that time by what seemed to be a wall of wind. Suzuka fought her way back to her feet before Hisako had skidded to a halt, and she tore across the field at Ngeshtin-ana with a strangled cry while Tiamat cowered above them.

"At long last, I have found you. Now let's end this attempted coup," Ereshkigal declared as the wind died down.

Joy, then alarm, buzzed in the back of her mind, but it was so easy to ignore Inanna when Mika still hadn't moved and Suzuka was attempting to punch a goddess. It took her two tries to get to her feet, and her steps were wobbly as she approached. Yuri had already crawled back to Mika and Enlil was crouched over them both, cloak spread protectively, teeth bared up at Ereshkigal.

"Stay away, Ereshkigal, I will deal with my sister," Dumuzi said, in between the two goddesses (and human girl), but backpedaling while he spoke. As he moved, he shed feathers that flared up when they hit the floor. "I have been nothing but a loyal—"

"Silence! You have lied to me, and you have broken the laws of my land. Worse, you have sheltered your sister, who exacerbated the problems at hand. Dumuzi, no longer can you delay this confrontation, and I will not lend an ear to any more of your desperation." Ereshkigal advanced slowly, at her own pace, eyes narrowed as she watched Ngeshtin-ana easily dodge all of Suzuka's blows. But even the ruler of Irkalla jumped when another clap of thunder sounded. Tiamat had followed Suzuka's movements, but her attack had been blocked by another bolt of lightning.

Suzuka, temporarily stunned, watched as Ngeshtin-ana's fists crackled with her own electricity. Tiamat's tail came down on her, and the resulting clash sent static everywhere, and Ereshkigal shied back with the first nerves she'd shown.

"Heal her again," Yuri croaked, picking up Mika. Enlil frowned down at him. "I-I just healed her…"

"She was fine," Hisako said numbly. Half of one of her horns had cracked off, but the rest of them were solid and still attached. "She was just—fine."

"Enlil, heal her again!" His Persona swiped his brush across her once more, but it only served to smear with the blood on her face. "No, no, no, wake up. Mika, wake up."

"E-Ereshkigal!" Hisako said, too weak, and then she called again. " _Ereshkigal_ , help!"

The grey-haired goddess paused, and only after too long of a moment, turned back around to them. Dumuzi, igniting, took the opportunity to hurl himself at Tiamat and Ngeshtin-ana. "Look what you've done!" he roared.

"What is it, Inanna?" Ereshkigal asked coolly as she approached.

"I—We need help. Mika-chan needs help. She needs healing, and I… we… I can't heal."

"She won't heal," Yuri added, still bent low over her. "She won't heal, she won't, it won't work on her—"

"I cannot heal a dead human, you know this. Even to try would be remiss," she said with a reproachful tone.

" _No_!" Yuri shouted, wrapping his arms around her again. "She's not dead! She _just_ had a Persona—one of those huge monsters—there was something there! That should have saved her! _Make it save her_!"

"Inanna, Enlil, that is just one dead human you cry for." Fire, mixed with thunder and smoke, flared up behind them. Ereshkigal glanced back over her shoulder as Suzuka was sent flying. "I have larger matters to attend to, before either escape my grasp once more."

"She's _not_ dead!" Yuri insisted.

Suzuka looked up at those words. She caught Hisako's eye, and then ran towards them. Ereshkigal stepped out of her way and didn't look up as Tiamat slithered past, almost brushing her. Suzuka fell to her knees again beside them and stared in wide-eyed horror at Mika.

"Ereshkigal still likes you, right?" she asked Hisako, eyes never leaving the horned girl.

"She came here for me," she replied. _So why couldn't she have done this for me_.

"She said she won't heal her," Yuri said, voice raw and broken, but he didn't sound as if he was crying. "The zombie bitch wouldn't help us—"

"What if she's not dead," Suzuka asked quietly.

"Ereshkigal said—" Hisako began but then her throat closed up. Tears spilled over her cheeks without further warning, as if everything Ereshkigal said was law and saying that made it true. Ereshkigal had said she was dead. She had said Mika was _dead_.

She clamped her hands over her mouth, but it did little to muffle the noise. Yuri's grasp on Mika tightened at the sound. Suzuka, wide eyes still on them, rolled up her sleeves. "How many volts do defibrillators use?"

"What?" Yuri asked, looking up for the first time. Hisako blinked rapidly and tried to keep Suzuka in focus as her words processed.

"I-I don't know. I don't even know if Tiamat can measure volts."

"I've seen what that thing can do, it's way too strong—"

"I'll temper her. I've already noticed I can get zapped better than anyone else here, so I can act as—a-a grounding or something. I just need a guess first."

Hisako bit back her sobs and tried to think of anything that could help. She didn't know anything about volts or amps or defibrillators. Just that the doctors shouted 'clear' and zapped someone and it always worked in the movies and television. _It could work_. If Mika wasn't dead, then Ereshkigal…

But Yuri didn't voice a guess, either. Tiamat lowered her snout over them, nudging Suzuka's back with the very tip. "O-Okay then, I'll just…" Suzuka reached out and Yuri reluctantly released his grip on Mika. "C-Clear," she said, Tiamat sparked, and both she and Mika jerked. Suzuka swore violently and drew back.

Yuri leaned over her, ear at her mouth, and Hisako could see how his expression broke. "She's still not..." It was supposed to work, just like in the movies. Their blood, sweat, and tears earned them their happy ending, didn't it?

"Tiamat, a little less this time. Ready?" Her Persona pressed her snout into her back again, Suzuka placed her hands on Mika's chest, and they both jolted again. Still Mika did not stir. Without waiting, Suzuka tried again, and again.

Tiamat drew back after the fifth time. Suzuka swayed, but then glared up at her with teary, red-rimmed eyes. Yuri, hands shaking, smoothed Mika's hair out of her face.

Hisako, unable to do anything for them, stopped trying to fight the sobs.

-.-.-

Ngeshtin-ana and Dumuzi had escaped. Ereshkigal had left them at the entrance to go back to pursue them. Yuri was left to carry Mika; he was the only one strong enough to, but Hisako was certain he wouldn't let go even if she had been able. She was having difficulties just trying to support Suzuka.

Nergal looked at them with sympathy and barely hidden curiosity as they stumbled out of the maze. "Has Ereshkigal found either of them?" he asked.

Hisako shook her head.

"And this is… your friend you were searching for?"

"Who was she?" Yuri asked in a low voice. Nergal cocked his head to the other side. "You—All you do is see us as th-these things—Enlil—and the others, s-so…"

"Who does she look like to you?" Suzuka clarified wearily.

"She is…" He had the good grace to look away. "I do not know. She is just a human to my eyes."

At least he hadn't said dead. Hisako nodded at him, grateful for his tact, and looked to Yuri to get him moving again. She didn't have the energy, physical or emotional, to ask him to follow her. He shifted Mika in his arms and they trudged across the empty area towards the exit.

"What's gonna happen to her?" Suzuka whispered, quiet enough Yuri hopefully wouldn't hear. "She has _horns_ and her hair is still black…"

Those were valid questions, but Hisako was more worried about having a dead body in the first place. But they couldn't leave her down there. She couldn't imagine having Mika declared missing, answering questions, pretending at school that she didn't know what was going on. They were already going to have to lie about a lot of things.

"And… What's going to happen to _us_?" Suzuka dropped her voice even further, until it was hardly a breath in her ear.

Ngeshtin-ana was still loose. Dumuzi was, too, though Hisako didn't know how to feel about him. But they still had their Personas and the ability to go to and from Irkalla freely. "What else can we do?"

They had to stop to rest at the base of the staircase leading out. The trio changed back into their school uniforms and Hisako dug out a water bottle from her bag. Yuri looked at her as she approached, shirt buttoned improperly, tie askew, and dark hair matted against his face and neck from sweat and blood he didn't bother to wipe away.

She held up the bottle like a peace offering. "W-We should at least wash off all the paint and blood, and…" She fidgeted thinking of last rites. They were out of the fighting, but it had hardly processed for her, much less the finer details of it.

"Thank you," he replied, voice flat and dull.

"You shouldn't thank me." She knelt down beside them and, using her tank top, tried to sponge off as much as she could. Mika didn't exactly look peaceful. Weren't dead bodies supposed to look peaceful? But she did look a lot like she was sleeping. Hisako found herself blinking back more tears, just when she thought she'd run out.

"I'll take care of her," Yuri said.

"I can do this much."

"When we leave. We can't all end up with the trouble this will cause."

She raised her eyes to meet his, and he returned the gaze unflinchingly. "You can't do this," she told him, "I won't let you. Not alone. Not—this."

"I'll say she fainted, and they'll probably pin it on heatstroke. I don't know what else they could say."

"We can't leave you alone with that."

"It'll be easier. You and Sakuraba don't need that sort of attention, especially when she was in the hospital last."

"You were in the hospital with me in April—"

"I told you that you can rely on me, right?" he burst out.

"Not for this!" She glared at him through her tears.

He looked down, his face twisting in anguish. He quickly covered it with one hand, the other still fisted in Mika's jacket. "I-I need to rely on you, too. I need to do this for her. And we need to keep this compartmentalized if—if we keep ending up in hospitals and—she wasn't caught, we'll have to do this again—and your dad, he cares about you, he'll worry if you get caught up in this—" Shoulders shaking, he fell silent for a moment, but then straightened. "I can handle bad publicity. I can handle her parents hating me even more. I know you think I can't keep secrets, but this one, I will."

"That's not what I'm worried about. A-And you know that," she said and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. But he had a point, at least on some level, and she hated that. Mika deserved them all owning up to this, even if they had to lie about the circumstances.

"Are you guys okay?" Suzuka asked, gently breaking into their argument. She stood apart from them, as if nervous to approach, although she was dressed and ready again.

"He wants to—"

"Sakuraba, if this was Watanabe—"

"I heard you already," she said. They both quieted, eyes falling down to Mika once more. "So, let him. Mika-chan was his, and if he wants to shoulder all of the responsibility, let him carry it."

"She wasn't mine," he said lowly. "She never was. She deserved better."

No one could say anything else. She had deserved better; they had failed. Hisako led the way up the staircase and back out into the normal world where none of that should have happened. Mika's horns crumbled away as soon as they broke into the sunlight, her hair faded back to golden brown, and Suzuka starting sniffling all over again at small, convenient miracles.

Hisako dialed 119 and pressed the phone up to Yuri's ear. He sank to the ground, carefully keeping Mika cradled in his arms, and Suzuka sat down next to him and took over phone duty. "Hello, I-I'd like to—my friend just collapsed." His voice hardly shook, but he stumbled over his words as he talked to the operator.

"We'll have to leave before they get here," Suzuka said, unmoving from her spot beside him. Hisako nodded, mute and unhappy with the decision, and then abruptly realized all over again that Mika was _dead_ and it was their fault and they had to leave her. They had to leave them both. Suzuka stood up only when Hisako started crying again.

Yuri was the only dry-eyed one when they left. Hisako couldn't stop crying, and Suzuka stared ahead without actually seeing anything. Somehow, they made it to their neighborhood, and somehow, Hisako made it home. She spent the rest of the night in her room, alternating between sobbing into her pillow and apologizing to the greyed-out Tower card on her wall.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Average

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (-5)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Sensitive


	14. Growth 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a painter confesses and cousins are visited.

Thursday, June 5th, 2014

…

Hisako stared at the whiteboard just to have something to do. She woke up and went to school, both feats of which she would have thought impossible the night before. Suzuka had come to class, too, already seated, with her head buried in her arms. She could have been asleep.

It would be another day of class. Many seats were still empty, that early in the morning, but at least one would remain that way. She hoped Yuri would stay at home, too.

"No one knows yet," Suzuka mumbled into her arms.

"They'll know soon." There would probably be a school announcement, and then they could at least stop trying to maintain straight faces in class. More students filed in, classmates or friends visiting friends. Hisako wasn't sure what she'd do if someone tried to sit in Mika's seat.

She already felt numb. The actual grief was gone, temporarily, and it was all she could do to appear aware of her surroundings. Lectures and notes would be beyond her, but at least her attendance would count for something. Maybe once everyone knew—no, she should keep doing things. Hisako knew she was the type of person to just shut down if given the chance; she had to keep active, keep pretending at normal habits if nothing else.

It would be better once everyone knew, in a terrible way. She had to believe that.

Mathias arrived, early as usual. She tracked his movements out of some sort of reflex. When he caught sight of the two girls, however, his expression changed in a strange way. He quickly looked away after catching her eye.

He sat down next to them, but in Haruka's, not Mika's. He didn't say anything at first, leaning forward, squinting a little bit. Analyzing.

Suzuka raised her head up high enough to make sure her glare was visible. Hisako glanced between them, nervousness bubbling beneath the weight of everything else.

Mathias opened his mouth, and closed it again with another thoughtful frown. Then he tried again, and asked, "Are you two alright?"

"Tired," Suzuka replied tersely.

"Yes, just tired," Hisako added.

"Is everything else alright?" he asked, and he sounded more confused than anything else.

Suzuka fully sat up in her seat, eyes narrowed and mouth pressed into a tight line. She gave Hisako a look out of the corner of her eye, and it clicked: Haruka had said something to him. It made sense that Suzuka had immediately told Haruka. It was right that she told her. In fact, she was fairly certain she had seen an email in her inbox from her that morning.

Hisako didn't want to lie to him. He'd find out soon enough, probably that day. But she couldn't say the words. Instead, she forced out, "It will be. I-Is there anything we can help you with? We're just a little tired this morning, not really up for much conversation."

He didn't seem satisfied by the answer, but he let the matter drop and rooted around in his bag. He offered her an intimidatingly thick stack of papers.

"Um." It took a moment to let her eyes properly focus. It was not going to be a great day.

"There is more research in English, but my translating skills are subpar and not fast, so that is just my first findings in Japanese. Mostly. I-I couldn't get through all of it," his cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "but that should be what you need."

"What I… need?" Hisako said, overwhelmed by the very strange gift. She scanned through the first several pages, finding more than one page in English, and pictures mixed in with the text, but she still didn't understand. Suzuka leaned over her desk, just as lost.

"Haruka told me to." There was a question in his voice. Suzuka regarded him again, still cool, but Hisako realized what the papers were when she came across a word she recognized.

_Inanna_.

"Mathias-san, what exactly did she ask you to do?"

"Shit, Haruka," Suzuka hissed when she understood the pile of research and what Haruka had done.

"She asked me to figure out a—uh, reference to something and then tell you. Something from a legend. She said it would help you with something, but she would not give me details. Could you explain?"

"We can't," Suzuka whispered immediately.

"I know we can't." Haruka was trying to get Mathias to take over in her stead, and probably—hopefully—remind them that they weren't alone after what happened to Mika. But Hisako would be damned before she put Mathias in danger. It said a lot that Haruka was willing to trust him, especially without warning Suzuka of it.

But no one else. If it had even the slightest chance of making anyone a target for Ngeshtin-ana, they couldn't let him in.

"She was just trying to get me to finish an assignment," Suzuka lied, running a hand through her messier than usual hair. Mathias' expression shuttered but she continued anyway. "You know me, or I suppose you don't, ha. Not the best student, and since she's not here to keep me going, I guess she thought she'd use you. Please, put it out of your mind."

"Ah. Alright." He didn't even sound sad. But Hisako knew that he knew he'd just been lied to. "Excuse me. I hope that helps you a little anyway."

He left Haruka's seat and their company. Suzuka groaned and laid her head down on the thick stack of papers. "Now I feel worse in an entirely different way. I didn't know crappy feelings could stack like this."

"You'll have to take these papers for now."

"We can look over them later, I guess." She chewed on her lip and her eyes looked a little watery. "Hey… Have you ever lost anyone before?"

Hisako felt a jolt of alarm—they should not be having that conversation in the middle of their classroom. But Suzuka looked so despondent, she had to answer. "Yes. My grandfather and uncle. But this…"

"This is different, yeah. I-I know." She sniffled, loud enough to draw attention by the nearer knot of classmates. She covered the noise with action, sitting up and swiping all of the papers into a pile in her backpack, and then schooled her face into something a little more presentable. The first bell rang. "Let's talk after class, okay? ...Please?"

"Yeah, of course."

At least the surprise of Mathias' research had done a little to get her back into the real world. Ms. Yamashita, a little later than usual, beat the last handful of students in as the second bell rang. Hisako's heart sank once again when she noticed the woman's somber expression.

"...Students, I have something to tell you. There will be a school announcement as well, but I would like to tell you this first myself."

Hisako had started crying again before Ms. Yamashita had finished. There were gasps and distressed murmurs, and while she knew it was in her head, she could have sworn she could _feel_ the eyes of their classmates on her. As if they knew, just by the admission of Mika's death, that she had a hand in it. That it was her fault.

The PA dinged with the predicted announcement soon after. For a moment, no one in their class moved to go to the auditorium, but Ms. Yamashita broke the spell by standing up first. Their classmates filed out around them, yet Hisako could not bring herself to move. Suzuka also stayed in her seat. Her shoulders shook. Their teacher waited until everyone else had left, and then said quietly, "...I know you were close with Kuroki. You may stay in here if you'd prefer."

"Thank you," Suzuka choked out. Ms. Yamashita nodded and left as well. The door was loud as it clacked shut.

They didn't speak to each other. But it was reassuring to be near someone else.

"I guess… We can look at that stuff now," Suzuka mumbled.

"Y-Yeah."

She paused before pulling out the topmost papers. When she twisted around in her seat again to face her, her eyes and face were dry. "...Alright then, so it looks like this is a bunch of stuff pulled from some historical encyclopedias… You were right, I guess, this stuff looks like it's real. It exists."

"Ancient Sumer…" She didn't actually know where Sumer was. Not anywhere near Japan, at any rate. She flipped over to the next sheet and scanned over it without any enthusiasm. It seemed like it was the middle part of some sort of story, but she immediately recognized names. Inanna and Ereshkigal. In it, Inanna was disrobing as she went through Irkalla by herself, trying to get to her sister, who then killed her as soon as she reached her at the bottommost level.

It didn't make any sense. Not that most of it did, but Ereshkigal did not seem to hate Inanna and hadn't ever attacked _her_ in Irkalla. Inanna didn't seem to carry a grudge, either, from what she felt. Sure, Ereshkigal kept referencing a suspiciously tragic past with one another, and Nergal and Dumuzi had mentioned it as well, but if Inanna had died by her sister's hand, then why was she still alive? Why was Ereshkigal the one condemned to stay in Irkalla? It was all too confusing.

"...Maybe trying to read these right now isn't the best of ideas. I can't really focus on this," Suzuka said with a heavy sigh. "Too many foreign names for me to keep straight right now. And I only recognize half of them. I'll ask Haruka tonight if she's looked over these."

"I wish she hadn't told Mathias-san to pass these onto us," Hisako murmured and passed the papers back to her.

"Yeah, me too." She laid down across Hisako's desk, stretching far enough to nudge her shoulder against her arm. Hisako made to move away to give her more space, but Suzuka chased the movement, so she stayed, and then, after a moment, set her head down in her arms next to her. "Have you talked to Kikuchi at all today?"

"No, I haven't. Have you?"

"No. I haven't texted him and… I'm sort of scared to. I don't know him as well as you."

She wanted to argue that. She felt like she hardly knew Yuri or Mika after the day before. She felt like she barely knew anything. Nothing about Inanna, or Dumuzi, or either of their sisters. Nothing about Yuri or Mika. Nothing to save or sway anyone. "...I'm scared, too," she whispered.

Suzuka wiggled one hand out to reach over and place over Hisako's elbow. She didn't say anything. Hisako wasn't sure what she even _could_ say. But the gesture was appreciated, and she put her own hand over hers in thanks. They remained like that, in silence, until their classmates returned.

-.-.-

The girls aimlessly walked through the residential neighborhood just past Suzuka's home. Her presence was still a comfort, even if she didn't know what to say to her. But the shorter girl seemed to have no problem bringing anything up. "So, my parents are dead. I was pretty young when it happened, so I don't really remember it or them. I guess I've lost people before, but…"

"But it's different," Hisako finished. Suzuka nodded. "It's… really different."

"I feel guilty," Suzuka said frankly. She shrugged at the way the blonde turned to her. "About a lot of things. And about… the obvious. But things I didn't expect, too—I didn't know her favorite color. Did you?"

"I… didn't." Maybe it was green or blue. But she wasn't sure, and that disconcerted her.

"I didn't know much about her. So I just…" It was only then that Suzuka withdrew from the subject. She shifted her bag back and forth in her hands. "We were really close in some ways. She knew about all this magicky stuff, and we had those slumber parties. And we were in the same class last year, too. But I didn't really _know_ her. I think that's part of why we failed."

"I think that, too." Suzuka was so much more articulate about it than she felt, and that felt off to her, but she was also content to simply lend an ear to her friend. Hisako, for all her love of talking, needed the _time_ to adjust first. And now that she was hyperaware of what her friends were going through, she felt even more lost. _How is Yuri-kun…?_

"But I knew she really liked dogs. I wanted her to meet Dango. And I know she cared about helping people, and she wanted to feel useful, and I understand those things." Suzuka wiped at her eyes and shot Hisako a weak smile. She did her best to return it. "I guess this is sort of all coming back to feeling like I have to _earn_ the right to grieve. I have to be good enough to. Th-That's pretty dumb, huh?"

"No, it's not. It's not dumb at all." They veered off the sidewalk into a small little park, with a couple of small children playing on the other side. Suzuka sat down on the nearest bench and with a groan, sat down and buried her face in her hands. Hisako sat beside her and wondered if she should try to put her arms around her or not. "We were her friends. We were there, and we—w-we failed. And even if those things weren't true, you're allowed to feel whatever you want."

"The wake's tomorrow," she mumbled through her fingers. "Are you going?"

"...Yes. Are you?"

"I would if you were. I've never met her family."

"I haven't either." She thought about the brief mentions Yuri had made during their rescue attempt. _Attempt. We failed_. It was far from a new thought, but every so often, it'd hit her all over again. They were just a group of kids, they had little idea of what they were supposed to be doing, and they had paid for their lack of knowledge and experience.

Hisako began crying and Suzuka hardly hesitated in putting her arms around her in a tight hug. She didn't mind the contact then. It didn't seem like it was hard for her to comfort and grieve at the same time, even if Hisako herself had trouble doing both simultaneously. "Shh, it'll be okay. We'll be okay. We'll keep going on, for her."

"Wh-Why are you—" She couldn't think of an ending to that sentence that didn't make her feel worse. Why was she better at handling that, why was she more composed, why was she better at being a girl? "I couldn't do _anything_ ," she hissed, angry at herself.

"That's not true! You got Ereshkigal there, and even if she freaks Tiamat out, she could've healed Mika. She kept the other two off of us, too, but you're the one who came up with that."

"She didn't, though."

"If I could've—"

"We can't go back and forth on this," Hisako broke in. After a beat, Suzuka nodded and dropped her arms from her shoulders. "If there's one thing I know, it's how this sort of guilt doesn't just go away because of nice words."

"...Sucks to hear that we just need time."

"Yeah, it does."

"Well, just so you're aware, I don't blame you for anything. Just like how I'm sure you'll _insist_ you don't blame me for not doing my job—"

"It wasn't your job to—"

"See?" Suzuka said, nudging her lightly. She smiled gently. "Let's just… We can apologize to her at her funeral, and in the future, we'll just have to do better until we stop them and end this. That's what adults are supposed to say about something like this, right?"

"...Probably."

"It sucks to try to be the responsible one." She sighed, leaned back on the bench, and frowned up at the sky. "...It would've been cool to have her on our team. Would've drove Haruka up a wall, and I can only imagine how she's dealing with this. She didn't want to talk about it with me last night."

"How much do you think she told Mathias-san?"

"I don't know, but I'll make sure she doesn't say anything else to him. Until then, I guess we have homework, huh?"

"I can look them over if you'd like."

"Would you?" Suzuka asked with a hopeful look.

"Yes, I can." It would give her something to do, at the very least. And they had to be more prepared. If there was something in the mythology about Ngeshtin-ana or Irkalla… She didn't even know what to look for. But Haruka had nearly broken their promise of silence to deliver the information, so she had to think there'd be something valuable. Progress in exchange for not thinking for awhile; it would be perfect.

"Sweet sunshine, _thank_ you. I was worried I'd start ripping up the papers or something if I came across anything about that sister."

" _That's_ what you're grateful for?" Hisako asked before she could stop herself.

Suzuka didn't seem fazed by it. "Yeah! Dude, we're both sort of shit at this comforting thing right now, and I'm okay with that. I'm betting it all on feeling better after the funeral and after we can beat someone's face in during our next trip to Irkalla. So the less I think about it in the meantime, the better I'll do."

"So you'd rather have a friend than a therapist, huh?" she asked wryly. Suzuka beamed at her in response. Hisako reached out, and Suzuka met her halfway in the hug. She wasn't sure if she had noticed her hesitation. "I don't think I can play therapist right now, so I'll focus on being a friend."

"Good. We're in this together, after all."

With a flash, her Sun card reappeared in her mind, and then in her pocket. They had each other, and for the time being, Hisako was okay with that.

They parted soon after, backtracking to their neighborhood, and she was immensely surprised to find her father home. She quickly shoved the tarot card back into her pocket as he looked up from the couch. "P-Papa, you're home early." She had worried him the night before, staying in her room, but she thought she'd done an admirable job acting functional that morning.

Koichi didn't answer her immediately. He stood up and crossed the distance between them with a frightening sort of haste, and it clicked in her mind when he leaned down to eye level to search her face. "Hisako, are you alright?" The dropped nickname weighed on her heart.

She had to avoid his gaze. "I was just out with Suzuka-chan. We went for a walk."

She caught the way his expression broke out of the corner of her eye. "That's not what I meant. I got a call from the school today." There was a waver in his voice.

She felt guilty for not telling him the night before, but how could she have sat down and had that conversation with him? Especially with the timeline of it; she and Suzuka weren't supposed to know. Fear poked into the guilt that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you alright?" he repeated.

Almost all of the good feelings from her talk with Suzuka evaporated. She loved her father, and she cherished the close bond they shared, but she didn't know how to talk about Mika with him. She could only nod. He hugged her, he told her he was there for her, and he kept asking if she was okay, but it felt like there was a wall between them. She said as little as possible, and she could tell that hurt him, but what else could she do?

After a somber, awkward dinner, she pinned the Sun card back up to her board. Right in between the Star and the grey Tower.

-.-.-

Friday, June 6th, 2014

…

Yuri walked into the wake looking severely uncomfortable and unkempt in his suit. It was the first time either Hisako or Suzuka had seen him since they'd left him with Mika. None of the ceremonies had started yet, and it looked like it'd be a smaller affair, but there was a handful of upperclassmen and several of their classmates already there. There was an older couple whom Suzuka had nodded to, a couple families with small children, several adults who must have been family, and two teachers, Ms. Yamashita and Mr. Akiyama. The girls had already greeted Mika's parents, introduced themselves, offered their koden, and paid their first respects to Mika.

But it hadn't felt official until Yuri arrived.

Suzuka's hand tightened on hers as he walked past them without looking at them. Near the altar, Mika's mother's expression tightened into a scowl. It looked so much like her daughter that Hisako's stomach flipped over.

"You're not welcome here," the woman told Yuri.

Hisako was fairly certain Suzuka was about to break her hand.

Yuri stubbornly held out his condolence money straight to her without saying a word.

"You're not welcome here," she repeated, louder. Several seated guests shifted uncomfortably. Hisako spotted the teachers exchange a look and a couple of their nearer classmates started whispering to each other.

Yuri made things infinitely worse when he growled back, "I deserve to be here more than you."

She wasn't sure she gasped when she heard that or when the woman slapped him. "Get out of here!" she shouted with her hand raised again. "You killed our daughter! You hurt her and you hated her and now you've come to what, gloat?!"

"Dear, please—" Mika's father started, forcing his wife's arm back down, but she shook him off. Hisako was already on her feet, and she saw Ms. Yamashita halfway standing, too.

Yuri threw the envelope at them. "I don't care what you say to me. I never did. But how can you stand there and spout such crap about _her_? I wish she had better people to mourn her!" With that, he turned and ran back down the aisle.

"Yuri-kun!" Hisako stumbled out of her seat and rushed after him. Thankfully, he hadn't made it very far outside, just halfway across the lawn before he'd collapsed to his knees. He turned to her as she ran up and without warning her, wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her stomach, sobbing.

Shock didn't begin to cover it. She tentatively put her hands on his head and carded her fingers through his dark hair and had to hope that helped. She couldn't believe he'd said those things to Mika's parents, and she could believe even less the things they'd said to him. And now she had the feeling he wouldn't be allowed back in.

"That's not fair…" She sunk down against him, tears burning at her eyes, and tried to process the fact that he had just been kicked out of Mika's wake. "O-Oh my god, Yuri-kun, how could she say such a cruel thing…!"

"She's a bitch," he rasped against her neck. As she started crying, he seemed to calm down, though he still had her in a tight hold. "She always hated me. She hated Mika. She's a horrible, cruel woman, and I can't stand to think of her in there!"

At a loss for words, she pulled back, wiped her eyes, and sniffed. "...Your suit looks horrible."

"I think I ripped a seam on your dress," he mumbled, eyes still wet and downcast.

"You what?!"

"Just me breaking everything I touch again."

Hisako frowned at that. She tugged him to his feet, although he cooperated as well as a sack of rice, and they went back to sit down by the side of the building. The day was nice enough that several of the windows were open. She couldn't believe they were about to spend the wake outside, but like hell she was going to leave him.

"...Haruka-chan had Mathias-san doing research for us."

"Really."

"I haven't read all of it, but it looks like now we have some background information on what's been going on." She kept her tone light, but reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

He sighed, sunk down, and put his head against her shoulder. "You want to know what that was about, huh?"

"I do. Are you okay to talk about it?"

"I think I'll explode if I don't. Maybe you'll be able to tell me a reason why I'm stuck out here and they're in there." Yuri sighed and pressed his face against her arm. "So Mika and I have known each other since grade school. Somehow we became friends, don't ask me how or why she put up with me."

"She was your friend, that's why. She cared about you."

"Look where that got her."

"Do _not_ talk about yourself like that."

"I thought you liked talking," he said bitterly. She managed to bite back her own anger but withdrew her hand to cross her arms. "Sorry, I'm sorry. This is just hard."

"You don't have to—"

"I meant this." He kicked his shoes at the grass they were sitting on. Overhead, a prayer filtered out of the window. Hisako unfolded her arms and he offered his hand again. She squeezed her eyes shut and took it, and mercifully, he began talking again to cover the sound. "Friends since forever. Friends learn things about each other, like how very unhappy someone is at home. ...We both were, but she had it worse. Her parents… Her mom, she was always saying such mean things to her. Putting too much pressure on her. Restricting what she could and couldn't do. She never hit her, not that I knew, but… God, I was such a dumb kid."

"I'm sure she valued your friendship very much."

"Yeah, she did. Which is why I'm a huge asshole. ...You know how much she loved dogs, right? Naturally, her parents wouldn't let her get one, but she was bound and determined. Having a dog meant she could make her own rules. The dumb, frickin' dog represented a lot more than it should have."

His words to Mika in Irkalla about getting her a dog made more sense, and it only made it hurt more.

"In middle school, somehow, we got the idea to run away together. She was babysitting and tutoring, and I got an allowance, so we thought we could save up. At sixteen, we were going to grab our shit and run for it. And she'd get a dog. Except I started getting attention." Yuri sighed raggedly and drew his knees up to his chest. His free hand gripped the dark fabric of his pants with white knuckles. "I started winning awards for those dumb paintings, and my parents started screaming it to the heavens. I became a prodigy. It's just something I do, in class or in my free time, so I didn't care—until someone _bought_ one. I realized I could make money off of it.

"I thought if I could get a big enough reputation, I could sell paintings and do commissions wherever we ended up. We could run away _and_ I wouldn't have to pick up a stupid job to pay rent. I could have my cake and eat it, too. You can probably figure out where this is headed by now."

"...You didn't go with her," Hisako said softly.

"It was never enough, you know? And I was scared. I was downright _terrified_ that this newfound fame would go away. I finally had something here, and I clung to it, and meanwhile, it was getting worse for her. I kept putting off our plans, until finally, we had a huge fight over it. ...For whatever reason, she didn't go without me. She eventually told me that she still had her plan, she was just waiting until eighteen. So she still had to wait to get her dog. Because of me. So I was a selfish coward, and now, she's never going to get away from her parents and she'll never drag me out to go apartment decoration shopping and she'll never get that damned dog!"

"I'm so sorry," she said, and the words fell flat. "You were young, you both were. I'm sure she understood…"

"We were both kids and it was a stupid plan. But it was what kept her going," he replied tonelessly. He peeked up at Hisako through his shaggy bangs. "...Thank you, for being her friend. I-I think it helped."

"You don't have to thank me for that."

"Then, thank you for sitting out here and getting grass all over your butt and dress and missing this with me?"

"I was never much for tradition anyway," she said lamely, but he cracked a smile anyway. In the bright sunlight, she wasn't completely blinded by the flash of light. He didn't notice her wince. It felt a little like cheating, gaining something like that at the expense of Mika, but he _had_ opened up to her on his own terms, so she had to focus on that. "Um, thank you for sharing that with me. I didn't want to press, but after that—"

"You owe me one. Have any tragic backstory you want to share?" The joke sent her heart into her throat and she nearly regretted the social link rank up. He didn't seem to notice the way her hands were suddenly sweaty, and said, "You can just help me catch up on the homework I've missed. I think I'm tired of story time for awhile."

"R-Right, okay."

"And… Just sit here with me for awhile. You could probably go back in if you'd like, b-but I'm not welcome, and I don't really want to leave yet."

"...Of course. But if I find that you've actually torn my dress _you_ owe _me_."

"...I'll lend you my jacket to cover it."

"You actually did?!"

They didn't talk about Mika again until people began filing out of the building. Suzuka found them almost immediately, looking stricken, but she didn't mention the ceremony they'd missed. "In my mind we shared my incense for her." She sat down on Hisako's other side.

"More than I was hoping to get," Yuri said.

"Thank you, Suzuka-chan. I'm sorry to just leave you like that."

"I'm sorry I didn't chase after you, too." She set her purse and return gift down in the grass and all but crawled into Hisako's lap. She tensed at the contact but calmed a bit when she used the movement to hug Yuri.

"So, do we go back in to get our presents or what?" he asked.

"I-I'm not sure?" She'd never been to any sort of service by herself, much less one that she'd walked out on.

"I'm not going back in there."

"I'm not if you're not!"

"...If we had fire magic, we could've done all this ourselves," he said without warning. Both girls gave him matching looks of horror. Yuri turned away, but he didn't look all that apologetic. "Sorry. My self-censor is running on empty today."

"Are you two alright? Or, three." They looked up at their homeroom teacher, Ms. Yamashita, standing over them. "I had not expected that sort of spectacle in there."

"You know, just teenage drama—"

"Don't lie to me, Kikuchi. It's not my place to say anything, not now, but the least I can do is make sure you're alright."

"...I'm fine," he grumbled.

"Will I see you back at school tomorrow, then? All three of you?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, we've been there!" Suzuka piped up. Hisako nodded.

"I hardly would have blamed you if you had taken some time for yourselves."

"Should a teacher be telling us to skip?"

"It's not skipping if you're excused. But the three of you, I want to see you at class tomorrow, just so long as you're not pushing yourselves for it. I don't want more empty seats than I have to see."

The woman departed after that. They decided to leave with the rest of the mourners, hoping to blend in a little, even if most of them gave Yuri a wide berth. On the bus ride back, Hisako discovered that the seam on one of her shoulders was, indeed, ripped.

-.-.-

Saturday, June 7th, 2014

…

Hisako slunk around her own home like a dog with its tail between its legs. It wasn't like her father was pressing her for anything. Once he figured out she wanted space, he gave it to her, while being at home as much as he could for her. It was incredibly understanding of him and only made her feel guiltier. She wished she could confide in him, but what good would that do? He'd worry himself into the hospital.

She ducked into her room as soon as she could. He had only briefly asked how the funeral was and let her escape soon after. If he chalked it up purely to grieving… But she was paranoid that he was going to ask about the timing. He had gotten the call from the school the day after the came home and locked herself in her room to cry. At the very least, he'd be hurt and confused she didn't tell him about it then. She was supposed to be mature and worthy of his trust.

She shut the door behind her and swallowed back tears. The funeral was over. She had the weekend to cry and read that research. Next week would be better.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

Hisako grabbed the nearest thing—her desk lamp—and swung it around at the well-dressed figure. Dumuzi, literally cornered, could only raise his hands to protect his face. "Why are you in my room?!"

"I came to see how you were coping!" Dumuzi cried pathetically. He was so much less imposing in human guise, and without Inanna forcing her feelings into the situation, Hisako felt she could act rationally.

She hit him with the lamp again. "I just went to my friend's funeral! Because _you_ couldn't handle your sister, despite your promise!"

"I did not aid her further! Inanna, please, think of your own sister, the lengths you have gone for her! Can you blame me for having reservations about raising my claws against her?"

Hisako deflated. It wasn't as if she had the energy to put into staying angry at him. She set the lamp back on her desk, hoping it wasn't broken, and checked the door again to make sure it was locked. "...Be quiet, please. I don't blame you, not really. But I'm not pleased you're here. I don't care for your sympathy right now."

"Then, a gift?"

She arched an eyebrow.

"Ninhursag."

"Bless you?"

"Your friend—Enlil wished to know who your deceased friend was," he said delicately. His body language was still submissive, but now that she knew what he really looked like, she easily picked out all of the nonhuman bits. Just the way he moved his arms and shoulders alone were off. "Nergal did not know because he had not seen her. I had. It was Ninhursag, a mother goddess of the earth. Another fertility goddess."

She felt her cheeks heat up despite herself. "I am _not_ a fertility goddess."

He smiled a little but didn't respond to that. She would have had to hit him if he had. "I am very sorry about what happened to her. I wish it hadn't."

"Do you have anything else to say? I'm not in the mood to speak to you."

"I merely wanted to offer you that for—in peace, I hope. I will do my best to stop my sister. I hope this does not happen again, but Inanna, you surely must be aware that there is the possibility…?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, I'm aware."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but must have decided against it. "Good. I-I will leave you to your proper grieving, then." And then, even more strangely, he seemed _embarrassed_ by that. Dumuzi gave her a short bow, kissed her hair, and when she tried to hit him with the lamp, disappeared.

Hisako groaned and resigned herself to a long night of reading.

-.-.-

Tuesday, June 10th, 2014

…

"Why do I have to come along again?" Yuri groused, interrupting Hisako's explanation. Again.

They were all together because it was a Tuesday, but they weren't going into Irkalla. They couldn't, not yet. "For protection!" Suzuka sang. "Mister tall, dark, and punk."

Yuri had taken to wearing his hair back in a ponytail to keep it out of his face, which already changed how he looked, but it also caused most of their classmates to realize he had earrings, too. Almost everyone agreed he was trying to change his appearance because of Mika's death. The rumor mill marched on. Hisako and Suzuka, who had already seen him like that when he was fighting, weren't bothered in the least. And he did act as a good deterrent for any approaching passersby.

"As I was saying," Hisako broke back in, miffed, "Ereshkigal was kidnapped. Inanna went down to see her, but Ereshkigal had already become queen of Irkalla, and she couldn't leave, anyway. She tried to use that same rule to trap her sister—"

"You," Yuri said.

If he wasn't carrying most of their stuff, she would have told him to leave if he wasn't interested. "Inanna _died_ in Irkalla. That seems like it's important to know!"

"Okay, so she died. How'd she get better? That's probably why you can come and go as you please, huh?" Suzuka asked, voice soothing. It didn't really help.

"There was a power vacuum. Ereshkigal had to take over Inanna's duties as a goddess, except she's associated with life and, um, creating more life, so since she had become a goddess of death after taking over Irkalla, it made her sick. By the time Inanna's backup arrived to save her, Ereshkigal wanted her gone more than anything else. But the rule still applied—someone had to take her place."

"And that's where hubby comes in, right?"

"Yes. Dumuzi wasn't grieving for his wife in a way that satisfied her, so she told Ereshkigal's demons to drag him back to Irkalla in her stead."

"He's more forgiving of Inanna than I'd be," Yuri mused. Suzuka nodded with a grimace.

"Well, apparently Inanna was really fickle, because she started lamenting his loss soon after. That's their winter myth. Everything dies because the main fertility goddess is too sad to do her duties."

"So, what about Tiamat?"

"But I wasn't done," Hisako grumbled.

"I'd almost rather be in Irkalla. I didn't sign up to be a pack mule, bodyguard, _and_ captive student today."

"Oh no, you're learning!" Suzuka exclaimed in horror. "Okay, finish up your myth and then get to Tiamat."

"Well, mine has to do with Ereshkigal and Irkalla…"

"You can skip on Enlil's stuff if it'll make you feel better."

"I didn't read much about him. But he's one of the gods who Inanna asked for help. He didn't, so that's probably why Dumuzi doesn't like you much."

"Oh joy."

"So Dumuzi's sister, sad about her brother, offered to take his place for half the year in Irkalla, so he could see Inanna and then she'd be happy and make the crops grow. She didn't do it for Inanna, but him. And that's why they're both trapped down there, Inanna's not, and it's worrying to have them _both_ running around. I still don't know how they're getting out…"

"Tiamat time!" Suzuka crowed.

Hisako sighed. "Tiamat is an entirely different myth. She's part of the creation myth. She died, too."

"Ereshkigal already told us that much," Yuri pointed out.

"She died to create the world. She was a goddess of chaos and the oceans, and she got into a big battle after her husband was killed. So your Persona was married, too."

"I hope my husband wasn't a bird man," Suzuka said with a fake swoon. "Chaotic ocean goddess, though. I can get behind that."

"Are you sure you don't want to hear anything about Enlil?" Hisako asked, a little surprised. But he shook his head. "Okay… How much further is it now?"

"Um… Maybe a block?" Suzuka guessed.

"You don't _know_?" Yuri hissed, hands tightening on his backpack. "You already have us wandering around back alleys and some shady shops, and we're all lugging around so much gold—"

"Let's not advertise that!" Hisako interrupted.

"One more block!" the redhead exclaimed as she spotted a sign. She ran on ahead, seemingly unburdened by her own bag, nearly giving Hisako a heart attack as she did so. She wasn't necessarily worried about the area of the city they were in, but she did not want the smallest member of their group on her own.

But they made it to the little shop in one piece. Suzuka went right in, whereas Yuri and Hisako stood a moment to look at the rather shabby front. The sign was broken, rusted, and hand-painted in places, there were bars over the windows and door, and what they could see inside was an unorganized mess of things. Supposedly, it was either a pawn shop or a collector's shop. Even Suzuka was a little confused on the details.

"...At least we'll be able to sell these gold coins, right?" Hisako asked, a little faintly. Yuri stubbornly waited until she went first, and then followed her in.

Suzuka was leaning across the counter, talking animatedly to a somewhat greasy-looking middle-aged man. His appearance did not improve Hisako's mood or opinion of the place. "Oh, and here are my friends! Guys, this is my cousin—well, he's with Kazu-nii, so close enough! Eiri Arisaka, these are my friends, Yuri Kikuchi and Hisako Fujihara."

"Nii?" Yuri echoed. Hisako elbowed him.

"Nice to see little Suzu-chan is growing up to have friends other than Haru-chan. Surprised she's not in on this illicit deal of yours, too."

"She's overseas right now as an exchange student. And aren't you the one helping with this illicit deal? You can't blame this on me," she said with a chuckle. Yuri and Hisako exchanged another concerned look. Suzuka caught it and hastily explained, "It's not illegal or anything! It's just a joke, 'cause I don't really talk to him or Kazumichi all that often, and then I call him up out of nowhere to ask if he'll buy gold coins."

"And you won't tell me where you got them," Eiri said mildly. He spread his hands on the counter and gave them a grin. "So let's see these gold coins of yours."

He was clearly not expecting anything serious from them. It was funny how his smile slowly slipped from his face when Suzuka reached into her bag, pulled out a handful of the coins, and set them in front of them. They glinted in the dim lighting. "We're pretty sure they're solid gold, because they're pretty heavy, but we figure you'd know a bit more about that, too."

The man picked one up with something like awe. "These… sure look real. What's this marking on them?"

"No idea!" Suzuka chirped.

"Suzuka, _where_ did you find these?"

"I can't tell you that. We're willing to take a lower price for them, though, just so long as you don't pry too much."

"When did you become so secretive?" Eiri asked, but he sounded impressed. He turned the coin over and over in his fingers, held it up against the light, and then fished a box out of the cabinet behind him. He ran a magnet over the coins, which didn't react. He then bit one, and examined the mark it left, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Suzuka took one of the coins back and chewed on it thoughtfully. "These are definitely gold, and a high percentage at that. Have you had these tested at all?"

"No, we were hoping you knew how to do that."

"I know _how_ , but I don't have any acid with me right now. Checked the density?"

"That's, uh, mass over volume, right?"

Eiri set a coin on the scale and frowned at the weight. "Seven grams. Let's assume it's eighteen karats for easy math. That's about five grams of gold per coin, and gold is around four thousand yen per gram. So you're looking at a cool twenty thousand per coin." Suzuka spat out the coin.

He eyed the six on the counter, completely unaware of the rest in Yuri's bag. "...How many do we have again?" Hisako whispered to him.

"Seventy-eight."

"That's rough estimates for the numbers, and that's pretty close to market price. And that's assuming I buy them," he said as Suzuka scrubbed her spit off of the one. "But I'm still _very_ interested in how you came across these."

"We didn't steal them!"

"Suzuka, I don't think you stole actual gold coins from anyone."

"Do you want to buy them or not? We can't tell you any details either way, that's part of the deal. ...And if you won't buy them, could you at least point us in the direction of some coin collectors who could? Pretty please?"

"Why should I enable this? I'm not sure a couple of teenagers should suddenly have that much spending money."

He still didn't know about the rest of the coins. Hisako began to sweat as she struggled to do the math in her head.

"Because you're family," Suzuka told him.

It took a long moment for his expression to soften, but it did, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a pleased blush. "W-Well, you always were a sweetheart. And I suppose this can count for not being in touch all that great the past couple of years."

"Did you know Hiroya's getting married?"

"Wha— _no_ , I didn't!"

"I'll talk to him about inviting you and Kazu-nii if you do this for us," Suzuka said sunnily.

"Now that's playing dirty, and you know it."

"We have a bunch of gold we can't explain we're trying to sell. We're a _little_ desperate," Yuri said without thinking. Eiri's eyes narrowed when he was again reminded of their presence.

"Think of what a nice wedding present you can get them once you sell all this gold!"

"You're trusting me an awful lot. These could be pure gold and I could be shorting you. I could be making up numbers off the top of my head. I could go tattle to your grandparents about this after you leave." It probably was pure gold, but they weren't going to argue the point. Maybe he knew that.

"We're okay with the lower number, but I trust you. _We_ trust you." Yuri and Hisako eagerly nodded. "We just need this favor. You do a favor for us, we'll do a favor for you. Plus you get a ton of gold! How shiny and awesome!"

"Gold coins can be hard to sell if you have too many of them." Suzuka's smile became a little more strained. "But I do know a couple collectors in Tokyo. I'll do this for you on good faith, provided you don't use it to buy booze or cigarettes or something."

"Eiri-nii, I'm sixteen, I'm not gonna go buy beer with this," she groaned. "But we have a deal?"

"I guess we do." He shook her hand on it. She turned and gave Yuri a wide grin. He looked a little uneasy, but he shrugged off his backpack and turned it upside-down on the counter. He and Hisako ducked quickly to pick up the coins that dropped to the ground. "What the—?! Suzuka, you little brat! This isn't how you do business!"

"We had a deal!"

"How many are there?"

"Seventy-eight."

" _How_ do you have seventy-eight old-ass gold coins on you?!"

"We have a pack mule," she said, patting Yuri's arm affectionately. He yanked his arm away with a scowl. Not that the girls couldn't have carried them, but he made things easier. "We have other things to sell, too, if you want non-gold-coins. Just thought we should open with the big numbers."

Eiri glowered at her. "Are you trying to fleece me?"

"No, we just really want to be rid of the things we've, uh, collected on our journeys."

"You're a schoolgirl! You don't have journeys!"

"How much do pearls go for?" Suzuka asked, bringing out a fistful of necklaces. Eiri buried his head in his arms on the pile of gold.

After he got over the shock of it all, he went along with purchasing their things just for the sheer ridiculousness. Hisako wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but it worked in their favor. And most of the things they were trying to sell _were_ valuable.

He didn't have enough cash to buy everything once they figured out tentative prices for everything, but he did put them in touch with a jeweller he knew who would buy the pearls and the handful of strange stones the hellhounds left. Eiri also swore off any future dealings with them, but agreed to act as a connection to people who _would_ , because he apparently became fond of the idea of turning Suzuka loose on his acquaintances.

"You have weird family," Hisako had to tell her as they left the jeweller, who was a nice old lady who almost began crying when she saw the "beautiful pearls". Awkward, but a little endearing, and at least she agreed to buy any future jewels or necklaces.

"I guess. Comes in handy sometimes, too. But even I'm at a loss when it comes to selling feathers, bones, or hair. Why'd we take the hair, again?"

Hisako shrugged. "I-I just sort of grab whatever's left over. It's easier to sort it out later."

"I'll take it," Yuri suggested. The girls turned to him in surprise. "I'll see if I can make brushes out of it. Unless you want to try to track down a wig maker or something."

"I don't think we have that much…"

"It was a joke."

"Oh! But I _do_ have an aunt and uncle who can use the feathers and bones!"

Yuri facepalmed. "Really. You _really_ do. How large is your family, anyway?"

"Mom's side of the family is huge. But…" Suzuka trailed off as she closed her bag again. She peeked up at Yuri unsubtly. "...I'll take it to them. I mean, it's only a couple things, and they're pretty light, so we don't need your carrying expertise anymore. You're fired."

"Um, are you sure?" Hisako asked as Yuri only stared at Suzuka.

"Yeah, I can do this one on my own."

"Why?" he asked bluntly.

"It's… a pet store. They always need supplies, and feathers can be turned into cat toys, and dogs like to chew on bones. Good for their teeth, I think."

"Then why—" Hisako cut herself off when she saw Yuri's expression; he looked like he'd been slapped. She looked back at Suzuka, who was staunchly avoiding his gaze as she rummaged around in her bag again.

She held out a fistful of hair, tied by a ribbon, and after he took that, an intimidating stack of yen. "This is your cut. I don't expect we'll make much off of feathers and bones."

"Keep it, I don't care. It'll be an exchange for the hair. I'll… see you two later, then." And with that, he left, leaving Hisako utterly clueless in his wake.

Suzuka started walking again without saying anything else about it. She had little choice but to follow. It took a bus ride across the city plus another hike through winding roads, but eventually they found themselves at a cheery little pet store decorated in yellows and greens.

"This is where Mika-chan worked," Suzuka mumbled just before she pushed inside.

Stunned, it took her a couple moments to get moving again. She remembered Mika had had a job at a pet store, but she had never thought she'd visit it. Definitely not in the current circumstances. Hisako finally followed her into the little shop, finding Suzuka already talking with an older couple. After a beat, she recognized them from the wake.

A loud, screeching squawk shocked her out of her thoughts. "Fool! Fool!" a parrot shrieked at her with its wings raised.

"Angelina, quiet! That is a guest!" the old woman shouted.

The grey parrot folded its wings again but maintained its evil look. She edged away nervously. It wasn't in a cage, just sitting on a perch near the cash register.

"Please, don't be nervous around her. She's very sweet normally, it's just… She's been very upset since she lost her favorite caretaker."

Hisako's heart leapt up into her throat. Suzuka reached over for her and drew her away from Angelina the parrot. "Auntie, uncle, this is Hisako-chan. She's a classmate of mine and was friends with Mika-chan, too."

"Oh, no. I do seem to recall someone with yellow hair like yours at the ceremony, but…" The frail old man peered up at her, as if trying to place her. It wasn't surprising he didn't exactly remember her, since she hadn't been there for most of it. "I'm very sorry you lost your friend. It's always tragic to hear of a young person passing, but Mika-chan was such a dear, sweet girl."

"Yes, she was," she mumbled. She could still feel the parrot's eyes on her. Mika had worked with that?

"I miss! I miss Mika-chan! I miss!" the parrot squawked, on cue.

"She does that every time she hears her name. Of course, Mika-chan was good with all of our animals, but Angelina is a very smart bird. She understands mourning."

"I _miss_! Mine!" Angelina insisted with a wail loud enough to set some dogs in the back barking. The sound of the dogs had her thinking of Mika all over again.

"Well, we don't want to cause a racket. We just stopped by because we found some things we think your animals could play with," Suzuka said loudly to be heard over the bird.

"That's very sweet of you, dear. Thank you very much." The old woman took the bag with the feathers and gasped at all the different colors. "Ohh, our kitties will love these! We only have three right now, but you know how rough animals can be with their toys sometimes. And look at all of these treats for our dogs! Thank you, both of you."

"You can just have them. Sorry we didn't try to make toys for the cat or anything," Suzuka said sheepishly.

"These old fingers can still tie knots well enough to make a cat toy or two," the woman said with a wink.

Hisako jumped when Angelina flapped over and settled on the man's shoulder. The bird jammed her face right up next to the bag of feathers. Suzuka chuckled, though at Angelina's curiosity or Hisako's skittishness, she wasn't sure.

"I can have? Just one?" Angelina asked hopefully. Hisako knew parrots were smart, and that they could talk, but it was her first time hearing one in-person. It was a little unnerving.

The old man pulled a purple feather from the bag and handed it to her. Angelina tweeted happily, took it gently with her beak, and stuck it in her own tail feathers. "Pretty birdy," Suzuka cooed.

"Yes, I am," she replied smugly. They all laughed at that, even if Hisako couldn't quite shake her sense of unease.

They said their goodbyes after the girls briefly said hello to the rest of the animals. The store looked lonely, with only the old couple and their sad parrot. It wasn't as if she disliked the bird, but something about her felt weird. "Don't be afraid to stop by to play with the animals at any time, both of you. They miss Mika-chan and would love the company."

"I'll try to visit a little more—" Suzuka started but was cut off by Angelina's shriek.

"I miss Mika-chan! I miss mine! I miss my tower!" the bird squawked.

Hisako gaped at her. Suzuka didn't catch on and just waved as she tugged her friend back outside. "So three teenagers walk into my cousin's shop and walk out a million richer. _Each_."

The shock of all the money warred with her shock at the parrot's word choice. The parrot would still be there later; the money won out. "I still can't believe… This is a lot of money."

"I am going to buy the nicest damned set of throwing knives I can find on the internet. And throwing lessons. And a new computer, I think. And _maybe_ a decent wedding present for my brother."

Hisako had rather been thinking about hospital bills and replacement uniforms and wondering how she could offer to pay rent without her father getting concerned. "What about college?"

"What _about_ college? We're still second-years and we'll… We'll have to visit Irkalla again. We'll get more stuff."

"...Next week?"

"We really should. There will probably be a talking shadow in her area, huh?"

"Probably. We should take it out before anything else happens."

"Yeah, probably." The bus ride back was quiet after that. Hisako's thoughts wandered from the money, to the parrot, to Mika, and then back to Irkalla. They'd learned some context from the mythology research Mathias had done, but she wasn't sure how truly helpful it was. It was just context. But it had kept her focused on that the past weekend, and that had been useful in itself.

It wasn't until she was back in her room, looking at the bills spread across her bed, that the money hit her. "Oh my _god_." She had almost a million yen, just sitting there. How was she going to explain that to her father when she couldn't even talk to him about Mika?

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+4)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Sensitive

Hisako Fujihara's Reluctant Fan social link has ranked up! The Sun arcana has reached rank 2.

Hisako Fujihara's Painter social link has ranked up! The Magician arcana has reached rank 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note about the wake scene - yes, yuri was being kind of a rude shit to offer the koden straight to mika's parents. that was on purpose. the girls offered theirs to the worker when they entered in, not to the family, despite how the sentence is structured. i just didn't want to draw unnecessary detail to what amounted to a very small part of a scene.


	15. Mutudi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a study date happens and a secret is spilled.

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

…

Mika's shoe locker was filled with things. Mostly sealed letters and flowers, but there were a couple small things. A box of sour candy, a tiny stuffed dog, a bracelet set, matching hair ribbons. Hisako didn't go digging, but it was near her own locker, so she noticed new things every morning. She herself hadn't left anything.

It was strange to think about, in moments when she could detach herself from the situation. She knew Mika hadn't been universally liked. There were large parts of her life that she hadn't known about. Several upperclassmen had been fond of her, as had most of the teachers. Hisako couldn't have guessed about her family. And there were the grieving animals at the pet store she'd worked at.

They had known each other for less than two months. All of the supernatural stuff had happened in less than two months.

It was going to be a rough morning. Hisako spent the time before the bell in the bathroom, wiping at her eyes and trying to compose herself. Most of the girls in their grade had become accustomed to seeing her crying in there. Maybe Suzuka as well. Who knew who else.

The first bell rang. She checked her reflection, making sure her hair was still up and the blue door behind her stayed shut.

 _Not yet_ , she told herself for the hundredth time. She couldn't face Igor or the assistants yet. On some level, she felt she'd be scolded for ending up with a dead social link, and she couldn't handle Mika being reduced to just that.

Thoughts of the Velvet Room were pushed out of her mind when she entered the classroom and found a note on her desk. Suzuka had her head down, but her nap was feigned, judging on the grin she was trying to hide. Hisako sat down and looked over the folded paper curiously. It just had her name, in hiragana, on the front.

The letter's handwriting was neat, meticulously so. The contents were also entirely in English.

Hisako twisted around in her seat to look at Mathias. He was staring out the window so she couldn't see his face, but she thought his ears looked a little pink.

She stashed the note when class started. It weighed on her mind, half curiosity, half… she didn't know what. She supposed she still liked him, but it was distant, muffled by layers of sorrow and fear. She didn't know precisely what Haruka had told him, just that he hadn't approached them again about the subject. She hadn't thought about his social link since she'd gotten it.

At lunch, she tore the letter back open and began translating. Suzuka tried reading over the edge of her desk, but Hisako moved so she couldn't. It was _her_ note. " _Do you want to study in the library after school together?_ " was all it said. Very anticlimactic. There was a little heart in place of the dot on the question mark. She was pretty sure her face reddened.

"Gonna eat lunch, or are you going to stare at that all day?" Suzuka teased.

"Did you say something to him?"

"Nothing. Don't think Haruka did, either, since this is new. What is it, a confession?"

"No, just… We're going to study after school together," Hisako told her.

"Study, or _study_?" she said and waggled her eyebrows.

"Regular study! ...I hope." She didn't see why he'd use the verb as a euphemism. They hardly knew each other, anyway.

"Nothing wrong with some smooching to make yourself feel better."

"I feel fine."

"Okay then, I'll go and study with him and smooch him," Suzuka said.

"I-I thought you said it wasn't a crush!"

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't kiss him."

"I'm going to study with him. Me. Maybe I can find out what Haruka told him."

"Girl with a plan! I like it."

"I like girls with plans as well," came the last voice she wanted to hear right then. She fell into Yuri's seat as she jerked away from Mathias, who had sat down in Haruka's seat. Suzuka snickered. The traitor. "How have you two been feeling?"

He knew about Mika, and he knew they had known before it was announced to the school. Haruka, too. Hopefully he just chalked up their prior knowledge to Yuri texting them or something. It was common knowledge that he'd been with Mika when she'd 'collapsed'. It had to work as a cover story.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Suzuka asked.

"Um, yes. A younger brother and sister. Why?" he asked back.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Gold or teal."

"Did your old school have uniforms?"

"Yes."

"Haruka lied," she muttered. "Okay, moving on, what did Haruka say to you to make you stay up late researching foreign mythology in a foreign language?"

"I did my research in both English and Japanese," Mathias said, offended.

"But _why_?"

"She… told me it was important. That it would help you both. That it meant a lot to her. She would not speak anything else about it."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else. She had seemed upset, but I now think that was because of Mika-san, right?"

Suzuka patted Hisako's hand. "There, now we know. Plan taken care of. You can get to smoo—" Hisako clamped her free hand down over her mouth. She felt her smile against her.

Mathias looked amused, which was a vast improvement from the calculating look he'd been giving her a moment earlier.

Suzuka licked her hand.

" _Eww_!" Hisako squealed, pulling away at once. Face burning, especially at the way he covered a laugh, she ran off to the bathroom to wash her hands. She hadn't had someone lick her since preschool. She recognized that Suzuka was physical, and silly, and casual, but that was genuinely disgusting.

She made the mistake of looking up at the mirror as she flicked water off her fingers. The blue door was open. She had never wished for it to open, or even to appear, and had left her Velvet Key at home to try to head it off. But it seemed like they really wanted to talk to her about Mika.

If she didn't go in, they'd probably just drag her in that night. That thought, that she didn't have as much say as she wanted, gave her pause. They weren't supposed to influence her or her journey. That was the point of the contract—'I chooseth this fate of my own free will'. Passing judgment would break that rule. They were there to guide her, and be a social link, and answer questions, but to ultimately stand apart from her.

Unconditional neutral regard. Or positive, in the twins' cases, but it helped a bit to think of them in therapist terms. And if they didn't actually do that and tried to say something bad, then she could bring up the contract. With that in mind, she braced herself, and then entered the doorway. The bright, white lights of the bathroom were replaced by the soft, blue tones of the Velvet Room.

And the twins weren't there.

Hisako deflated a little, off-kilter, at finding just Igor sitting behind his desk, shuffling his deck of tarot cards. "Good afternoon, dear guest. I hope you've been as well as you can be, considering the circumstances."

"I. Um. I think I have? Where are…?" she asked uneasily.

"They're busy elsewhere at this moment. I'm sure they'll find you soon enough. But I am glad to have the honor of your visit myself, for this is indeed an auspicious occasion."

"Aus—?"

"I have figured out the means by which the rogue deity targets beings for possession," Igor said happily. At Hisako's surprised silence, he continued, "It may very well be just a confirmation for you, but in circumstances such as these that are already so vague, anything that we know for sure can be a gift."

"No, I mean, I only had guesses… How does she?"

"She is targeting humans who possess latent Persona gifts. Nearly every human has some potential for one, but few have strong enough potential to manifest fully. I believe she is using this ability as a sort of channel to take over her target body. The good news is that triggering the successful first-time manifestation of a Persona forces her out."

 _Successful_ first-time manifestation. They had seen Mika's Persona—Ninhursag—but it hadn't been in time, or done correctly, or something else. Hisako nodded. "Thank you." So there was hope each time Ngeshtin-ana kidnapped someone. But she didn't want that to be any more than once more. "But… Why tell me this? I thought you weren't supposed to influence me."

"I don't think it's particularly influential to give you confirmation on something you may have already theorized," he said, tone light. "Moreover, dear guest, the Velvet Room exists to aid its chosen guest. That means helping in whatever capacity we can, even if our current abilities are truncated. We must not choose or manipulate your path, but we may at least help you make an informed decision."

"Thank you, again. Please continue helping me find answers."

"Of course. Please continue on your journey with my best wishes for your future."

She gave him a bow of her head and left, since it didn't seem like the assistants would show up. It was nice to get a straight answer on something, even if it wasn't outright helpful. But it meant that they had a foolproof way to kick Ngeshtin-ana out of someone.

 _So why did he make that part sound like a_ decision _?_

Her foray into the Velvet Room had taken more time than she'd anticipated, since the afternoon classes had already started. She locked herself in the bathroom stall and flipped through emails and texts on her phone, not wanting to leave school grounds, but not having the courage to show up in the classroom late. So it hadn't been her smoothest decision to date. She was surprised by how little she cared about missing class.

Guilt was becoming a fast friend to her. She scrolled past email over email Haruka had sent that she hadn't responded to. Yet. It wasn't as if she meant to ignore her friend, she told herself. She checked stuff on her phone in the mornings, but didn't have time to respond, so in the afternoon when she did, they didn't have the new icon any longer. And with all of the Mika stuff going on…

 _And I'm not happy she spoke to Mathias-san about this._ She would have gotten around to researching things herself at some point. Well-intentioned, but they were three for three on classmates with connections to the group. _Well, they're being targeted because they have Personas somewhere in them. So is it a coincidence that they were all classmates? And does being a social link have bearing on that, or not?_

Mathias was now the only school social link she had left. She wasn't sure how many there would be, though there were a lot of tarot cards left. But Haruka, with no social link and an ocean between them, was probably safe. Some consolation. Haruka likely didn't see it that way.

Passing time shut in a bathroom stall was boring. Even she ran out of things to think about; she was only running around in mental circles. They simply had to keep an eye out for horns on anyone, and stop Ngeshtin-ana afterward. Everything else was secondary.

When the last bell of the day rang, she ducked out of the bathroom, and ran straight into Suzuka. "I promise I don't have cooties," she said, and it took Hisako a long moment to remember what their conversation had left off on. "Didn't have to ditch class to make a point, I won't do it again."

"Oh, um, well thank you for not, but I accidentally got caught up." She eyed the students all around them. "In the, uh, blue place. That place."

"The—oh! Anything good?"

"Confirmation on something, but nothing pressing."

"Extra good! Because _you_ have a date!" Suzuka exclaimed.

"It's studying!" Hisako insisted.

"And it's not in the hallway!"

"What are you, my escort?"

The girls were halted in their debate by Yuri all but sprinting down the hall from the opposite direction. An upperclassman vaulted down the stairs after him, skidding a bit as he turned, just as Yuri collided with another coming out of their classroom. The class representative squawked as both boys went down. Mathias and another boy, just behind the unfortunate victim, stared down in fascinated horror as they fought to disentangle themselves.

"Wait up!" the upperclassman called from down the hall. Yuri managed to free himself, nearly losing a shoe in the process, and bolted.

"Does that happen often?" Mathias asked. The class representative, red-faced, shook his head from his position on the floor. "He is very strange. I like him."

"Are you one of Yuri-kun's friends?" the upperclassman asked breathlessly as he jogged up. He had a mop of dark auburn hair and glasses he pushed back up onto his nose. He was still wearing a dirty smock.

Mathias cocked his head. "I… _J'sais pas_. I would like to be," he replied brightly.

"Those two are," the boy beside him said, pointing at Hisako and Suzuka.

The third-year turned on them and they skittered back reflexively. "You two… Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure. If you answer what that scene was about," Suzuka replied. "I'll turn her your way when we're done, Matt-chan!"

"When did you upgrade to that?" Hisako asked, a little jealous. Mathias waved back with another smile.

"Eh, that's what Haruka calls him," she whispered back. They accompanied the upperclassman out into the courtyard. Suzuka hardly waited for him to speak before exclaiming, "What's up with that?! I've never seen anyone who can make that boy run, aside from…"

"Ah, so you knew her too," the boy said sadly. "I'm sorry. My name is Shunya Morimoto. I'm the president of the Art Club. I'd like to think I know Yuri-kun fairly well, and I had seen Mika-san come in from time to time as well."

Suzuka introduced them both while Hisako tried not to think about Mika trailing behind Yuri in the Art room. She willed her mind away from the memory of Yuri with red paint dripping off of him.

"Is he… doing alright?" Shunya asked.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. I thought he was okay the other day when we hung out, didn't you?"

"Yes, he seemed a little… better."

"Any particular reason you ask?" Suzuka prompted.

Shunya rubbed the back of his head. "Um, well, he sort of… He hasn't been to club meetings since then, which is understandable and I'm not faulting him, but he came in today. Asked me if I knew how to make brushes."

"...Do you?"

"Not really, but I can learn new things, can't I? Thought it might be an interesting club activity next week. B-But that's not—he's always been fairly mild, maybe a little antisocial at times, but he's a really great guy!"

"Yeah, we know that," Suzuka said and put a hand on her hip. She raised an eyebrow. "What happened exactly? We're not used to seeing him so spooked."

"I'm not sure myself. It's why I'm asking you. He came in, handed me this bundle of hair, and acted like he'd stay. I thought—hoped he would. But at soon as he pulled out what he'd been working on, he started swearing and shouting. Ended up dumping paint on the canvas and ripped up another. They were his own works, but he's _good_ , y'know? He usually ends up selling things even if he's not happy with them."

"What were the paintings of?" Hisako asked.

"The completed one was a bust of this man in a headdress and cloak, something he'd been working on in between activities. I was surprised because he doesn't usually draw or paint men unless it's a commission for someone, and even then, he moans and groans all the while," he responded, head tilted in thought. "The other, the new one, I'm not fully sure. It wasn't, uh, Mika-san, that's what I thought it'd have to be to upset him so much, but it wasn't. A woman, dark-skinned, and she had this reddish or purplish hair, and I don't think that was his palette. I'm not sure if it's some anime character or some sort of new idol, but I was just wondering if…" His shoulders slumped and he wrung his hands. "Okay, now I'm just sounding like a worrywart. It was probably just stress. I'm trying to keep things light between us and with the club, but when he acts like that..."

"No, that's probably a reason to worry," Suzuka agreed. "Not that I have any real clue what specifically that was about, but in general, I think he'll be okay? I mean. I'm not actually, uh…" She looked over at Hisako for help.

With a small sigh, she said, "I'm a little closer with him. I don't think I can answer your question, since I haven't seen any of his artworks, but I'll keep an eye on him. I'm sure he's just stressed." _I hope it's just stress. But why was he painting Inanna? Enlil is his own, but Inanna isn't_ , she wondered.

"You've never seen any of his paintings?" Shunya asked in surprise.

"It's just… never come up." Now that she thought about it, they hardly interacted at school, aside from sitting together at lunch. She was curious, that much was true, but she had never thought to bring it up with him. She didn't want to take advantage of how poorly he reacted to being pressured.

"What are you doing next Monday?" he asked, tone abruptly shifting into seriousness. He grasped Hisako's hands and she jumped, then wondered how to pull away without seeming rude.

"I, um, n-nothing, I don't think?"

"Please, come to the Art Club meeting. Ask him to show you his paintings. He usually likes showing them to pretty girls, and you're his friend, so please. I just want him to feel welcome there again, but he won't talk to me anymore."

He released her hands and she quickly folded them behind her back to prevent future touching. Hisako nodded. "I could try. I'll ask him tomorrow or Monday, so it doesn't seem so suspicious." Sure, she didn't even go to her _own_ club meetings, but she could stand to try to help Yuri with whatever had upset him, but she had a bad feeling that it wouldn't be as simply fixed as the third-year thought. And the poor guy wasn't prepared to deal with any issues regarding Personas, either.

"Thank you! I know this all sounds so weird, or nosy, but thank you for bearing with me. I'll see you on Monday!"

As Shunya left them, Suzuka shook her head in disbelief. "Man, I want a cool senpai like that. All the upperclassmen I know are from the team, and they don't worry about me like that."

"I'm sure they care about you."

She grinned, a little evilly. "Hisako-chan, the first time I get a sweet guy like that chase me halfway across the school because he's worried about me, you will be the _first_ to know. After I'm done with him."

"Even before Haruka-chan?" she asked mildly.

"Sure. She'd probably throttle me for scoring a boyfriend before her, anyway. And _speaking_ of scoring boyfriends, you still have your _study_ date!"

"It's not that kind of studying!"

-.-.-

Saturday, June 14th, 2014

…

"Ma-chan."

Hisako continued scrolling. All of the foreign names were beginning to blur together.

"Ma-chan?"

She found an ancient statuette of Inanna and Ereshkigal. Strange to see them depicted like that, but she could see the similarities. It was also not what she was looking for.

" _Hisako_ ," he father said and touched her shoulder. She jumped and nearly shoved her laptop off her lap. Koichi stared at her, troubled, from behind his reading glasses. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, sorry. I was just reading something. Studying."

"It's the weekend. You could take a break for dinner," he suggested. "We could pick something up before it gets dark. Whatever you'd like."

She looked away from the worry in those eyes. He was still walking on eggshells around her. She still hadn't spoken to him about her, about the money, or about anything. And the more time that elapsed, the guiltier she felt about it, so the more she put it off. "I'm not really hungry. Go ahead and eat without me," she mumbled.

He sighed, heavily and sadly. The guilt worsened. "Hisako…"

"You can go back to the nickname if you like," she told him, tucking hair behind her ear nervously, "I didn't mean to ignore—"

He cut her off with a hug. He was an affectionate, doting father, but it still caught her off guard. Emotional strain combined with physical shock soon had tears she struggled to keep silent. He let her go after a squeeze and didn't seem particularly surprised to see her crying. "I'm here for you, remember? Through anything."

 _Through anything_. With those words, the dam broke, and Hisako couldn't hide her shame, her grief, her guilt, anything. She fell into a sobbing half-coherent explanation, and she was positive she was telling him more than she should, but she also doubted he was able to understand her. Koichi seemed content to let her cry herself out, and she small, selfishly logical part of her brain was thankful he seemed to take it all at face value.

She soon cried herself into small hiccups and exhaustion while he rubbed small circles on her back. "Hiding things within you is not always a sign of strength. It's okay to rely on others at times if you can't handle it," he said gently.

"I-I know."

"And I'm your father. I'll worry no matter what, and I know you're strong enough to face whatever comes your way, but I can be here for you, too. Let me be."

She nodded again. "It's just… Mika-chan."

"Losing a friend is always difficult, and I'm sorry she was so young."

"I was… I knew, the day it happened," she said delicately. It was his turn to nod; he probably puzzled that much out from her behavior or her incomprehensible crying. "I knew, but we agreed—we thought it would be better not to—Yuri-kun, he—"

"You don't have to tell me everything if it will upset you again." He took off his glasses and something subtle shifted in his expression. Hisako watched him, half wary, half hopeful. Hoping he'd be able to say some sort of magical father word and she'd feel better. Stupid, she knew, and she really shouldn't be delving too deep into that mess when speaking to him, but…

"I… actually didn't attend the wake," Hisako said awkwardly.

His expression remained neutral, but he arched an eyebrow.

"Yuri-kun and I sat out on the lawn. He and Mika-chan's mother didn't get along."

"It always frustrates me to hear of such things going on during funerals," Koichi said. "You… remember your grandfather's funeral, right?"

"Yes."

She thought he would tell her something about her mother—she had already left them by that point, but had come back for the funeral, to attend with them and to be there for them—but he surprised her. "Your grandmother didn't want any of us there at first."

"But she was…" Her memories of all of the services had been colored by her mother's presence, but she didn't remember anything specific happening otherwise. Her grandmother had been polite, if sad, and had been one of relatives who hadn't skirted around her or her mother.

"It was actually your mother and your aunt Ayuri who convinced her to let us all come together. Families should be together, especially in times of grief. And your grandmother eventually realized that it was about all of us, and your grandfather—not just her feelings."

One of her clearest memories of those few days spent in Otaru was her grandmother telling her how pretty her dress was, and how much she was starting to look like her mother, though she had her father's thick, wavy hair. Something her grandfather had apparently shared in his youth. She didn't recall any sort of strain at the time, but she had been young…

"Does she… still think that way?"

Her father tried to smile, and it came out as a grimace. "No one's perfect, Ma-chan. Not me, your grandmother, your mother, or even you. You just happen to come the closest."

"I had no idea she felt that way," she muttered, unswayed by his words.

"She looked at me and saw her husband and Shoji, and she looked at Ryozo and saw someone who'd escaped. Grief is never pretty, but it can help to share it with people you care about. Your grandmother saw that and let your mother and aunt help her. And, to let you know this story has a happy ending, she's come to terms with a lot of things, and she's told me that she's glad she didn't try to say or do anything at the funeral."

"Is it bad that I _want_ Mika-chan's mother to regret her words?"

"It's human," he replied diplomatically. "I'm proud of you for staying by your friend, though. And I'm always here for you, but know also that these feelings will soften with time."

She only blinked at the flare of light, too tired to be surprised. Hisako shifted to make sure the card wouldn't get crumpled in her pocket, and asked, "Will you tell me more about our family?"

"Of course, Ma-chan," Koichi said and smiled.

"And can I finally get a part-time job?"

"...Yes, so long as you put your schoolwork first. And don't try to sneak money into my wallet anymore."

She wondered if she could use magic to cover her tracks. "Alright."

-.-.-

Monday, June 16th, 2014

…

"...What are you doing here," Yuri asked with a frustrated, tight scowl.

Hisako beamed up at him, already seated at an easel. She had forgotten to bring it up with him, but she had a back-up plan. "My father suggested I pick up something to do after school to keep myself busy, and since I can't play any sports, I figured a cultural club was the way to go. A-And I already knew someone in this one!" He didn't need to know of her almost-joining the Cooking Club.

Yuri looked around the room, but whether he was looking for someone else to blame or a way to escape, she couldn't be certain. Shunya was deep in conversation with a first-year on the other side of the semicircle of easels, and the handful of other club members already present were busy getting things ready or pulling out projects to work on.

He didn't reply and instead stood behind her, looking at the sketchpad she'd been doodling on while she'd waited. Hisako fought the urge to cover her work, but she managed to meet his eye. "I-I know I'm not very good. But that's why I'm here, right? To learn a couple things."

"Poirier said you had joined the Cooking Club," he replied tonelessly.

 _How could he—how does he know I'm in that?!_ she thought in a panic, and then, _Did he remember when I mentioned it to him?_

She must have gotten a look on her face (her crush remembered a throwaway detail!) because he groaned and pointed at the piece of charcoal she'd picked up. Shunya had just seated her near where Yuri normally sat and dumped a small collection of supplies she could not fully identify in front of her. "You're holding that wrong. You're not a very good spy, are you?"

"I've never had to have a cover story before," she muttered rebelliously.

He showed her how to fix her grip, despite the fact that it blackened even more of her hand, and told her, "You probably shouldn't be sketching with charcoal, anyway. Start with a pencil next time. We have more of those. I'm sure you have enough practice doodling hearts in the margins of your notes from class."

"That's a little mean."

"Then don't intrude on my territory."

" _Territory_? I came here, wanting to see some of your works, and I'm _intruding_?"

He flinched back as though struck. "Sorry. Knee-jerk reaction from when Mika would crash meetings. Um, so, really, why are you…?"

"I…" The truth and her cover story warred within her. They sounded like Octavia and Atticus again. "I wanted to check in on you. This seemed like a neutral way of doing it."

"Check on me," he repeated like it left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Yes, well, we _are_ friends. And I've been curious about your hobbies for awhile!" She poked his arm with her cleaner hand. He kindly did not roll his eyes. She risked a glance over at Shunya, who had gotten a little closer but still did a good job at talking to someone else.

"Check on me for yourself? Not anyone else?" Yuri pressed.

"Check on you!"

"We both know I know that Shunya-senpai sent you. I'm just trying to figure out why."

"Because you were painting Personas and got mad at them and an upperclassman chased you across half the building to try to see what was wrong," Hisako said flatly.

"It's not his responsibility—or yours—" he peeked over the easel frame, narrowed his eyes at the club president, then turned the same suspicious look back down on Hisako, "—nevermind. We were friends first, so I'm claiming first rights your loyalty. Please leave."

"That's not how that works!" Hisako exclaimed.

"He's just nosy. Sort of like Sakuraba, except he drags others into it. Don't mind him."

"You were painting, or drawing, or whatever-ing Personas," she said in a low voice. She pointed to a stick figure drawing of Inanna she'd made. "I have a vested interest in making sure you're okay."

"It's nothing Persona-related. All stress, I can assure you."

"That doesn't make me feel better. Is this a part of the grieving process? Is Enlil giving you trouble? And I'd still like to see your paintings, if I may."

"You sound like a shrink," Yuri accused, just as Shunya bobbed up over the edge of the paper.

"Hisako-san, so glad to—"

"Senpai, don't bring my classmates into this."

"You know me, I always want to show off your works!" Shunya replied without missing a beat. "Or I suppose the remaining ones. There's only two left here now, right?"

"I'm entitled to doing what I want with my own—"

"Hisako-san, have you ever painted before? Any sort?" he happily interrupted.

"Um, only in class at my previous schools. It was watercolor."

"Want to see what acrylics look like on a canvas?"

"Don't I get a say in this anymore?" Yuri groused, folding his arms.

"It's my solemn duty as a third-year to make sure my cute underclassmen get all the attention they deserve," he replied and patted him on the shoulder. Yuri glared at him until he retracted his hand. "Right! So, Hisako-san, if you'd follow me to our storage room…"

Yuri didn't follow them; he sat down and petulantly poked at his own canvas as Shunya led Hisako away. She knew he was prone to being a little grumpy, but Shunya seemed to clash against so much of what she knew of him. She didn't know what to think of the situation, or whose side to take, if she was being honest with herself. She _was_ worried about Yuri, for a number of reasons, and Shunya seemed to be caring enough. But he seemed a little pushy and she didn't want to get in the middle of that.

She followed him to a disorganized room full of materials, unused easels, and cupboards. They had to squeeze past a pair of filing cabinets to get to a pile of what turned out to be an array of finished artworks. Shunya carefully lifted a stack of papers off the top, then what seemed to be a painted sheet of glass, and finally reached the canvases beneath.

"So, he normally stores works he doesn't want or hasn't sold yet here—everyone does, if they want to. A lot of them are stored just until the next show."

Hisako gasped as he began lifting the topmost off of the stack. The first was a stunning cityscape against the night sky, with the moon and clouds stealing the attention in the piece. The second and third were both still lives, but one was done entirely in vivid reds and the other in pastels. The fourth seemed to be a remake of something familiar, though she couldn't quite place it, a woman in a lovely gold and white kimono with blossoms as a frame. "These are all so good!" she told him enthusiastically.

Shunya paused, regarding the small canvas he was holding (a high-contrast portrait of a girl she thought she'd seen in the club room earlier) with a thoughtful air. "Yes, they are. Sometimes, it's nice to hear that from someone new, though."

"Sometimes I wish I could draw, especially if it meant I could create such pretty things."

"You could always actually join the Art Club," he said with a grin.

"Thank you, but I'm not sure I could handle Yuri-kun glaring at me the entire time."

"How did your talk with him go?"

"He figured it out pretty much right away. Another friend of ours told him I was in the Cooking Club… Sorry."

"It was a long shot anyway. Thank you for trying, at any rate." He pulled another smaller canvas out of the pile, pausing at it. It was a watercolor, or something similar, that depicted a willow tree overlooking a brightly colored pond.

Shunya looked at it for so long Hisako had to say, "It's very pretty. Is that one of Yuri-kun's?"

"This one was done by Mika-san." He set it down, apart from the others, and gave it one last look before brightening into a smile for her. "I honestly have no idea what to do with it. I'm not sure if I should ask Yuri-kun about it, or if I should try to contact her parents. I'd feel disingenuous entering it into any shows, even under her name, and I must admit, I worry about Yuri-kun finding it without warning. Such are the worries of a club president!"

"I think she would've liked to compete against Yuri-kun in an art show," Hisako said with half a grin.

"I like to think that, too," he admitted. "But the next show our school usually participates in isn't for another two months, so maybe something will happen in that time frame. Sorry—back to digging! That's what you're here for, after all!"

"That, and my failed attempt at being a covert operative."

"If it makes you feel any better, this is actually my Plan B," Shunya said with a laugh in his voice. Hisako peered over his shoulder as he continued sorting through the art.

"What do you mean?"

"He's, ah, a little easy to mess with at times. And if we take long enough in here, he's sure to come in and blurt out something."

A tiny alarm bell sounded in her head. Yes, that was exactly what Yuri would do, but she dreaded his outburst tendency when he was even the tiniest bit worried about supernatural things. For now, they had their secret contained. But she worried about her father, and Suzuka was zero for two on keeping secrets, and Yuri was a walking time bomb…

"Here we go! This is the more recent of the two—he was trying for an art nouveau look, but as I understand it, this was still just an exercise for him, not a commission or anyone specific."

Shunya turned around and proudly offered a larger canvas with a woman in profile on it. She was haloed in blue and gold, and wore long, dripping robes that pooled at her small, blackened feet. She was sure there were layers of meaning she was missing, but she was far from an art critic; she just knew it was beautiful, and she understood why people would want him to paint them.

Yuri barged into the room and said in one, breathless rush, "I've been having nightmares about Enlil and Dumuzi and what we're going to find in Mika's section of Irkalla."

"See? I knew it wouldn't be that hard," Shunya said pleasantly and set the painting back down on the stack. Hisako eyed him nervously out of the corner of her eye, already sweating as she struggled not to show outward panic signs. Yuri's face had drained of color. So much for containment.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+4)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Commiserative

Hisako Fujihara's Single Father social link has ranked up! The Star arcana has reached rank 2.


	16. Regenerate 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which twins have differing opinions and a secret is spilled.

Yuri fled the scene after his confession, leaving Hisako sweating bullets with Shunya. The older boy rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "Nightmares are understandable, but I wish he wasn't so quick to run at times."

"Ahaha, y-yeah," Hisako said as she began edging back out of the room.

"Do you know what those terms he used were? They didn't sound familiar."

"Um, no! No I definitely didn't, but I'll go chase after him right now and ask and see how he is!" She ran, too, before he could respond. _How dare he just blurt that out and then leave me with him?!_ she fumed as she darted out into the hallway. As always, he was easy to spot in a crowd, already at the stairs. He caught her eye at the top, relief clear that Shunya hadn't followed him, but didn't stop to wait for her.

As annoyed as she was, she didn't feel like pursuing him if he was bent on avoiding her. She hadn't wanted to be left with Shunya, especially to be asked questions she couldn't answer, and she wasn't going to cover for him. She was still mad enough with him to leave that to be _his_ problem later.

She picked up an application at the convenience store on the corner before heading home. The boy behind the counter—hardly older than she was—gave her an odd look when she asked, but she didn't mind. The mother and daughter from down the hall, Izumi and Himawari, waved as they stepped out of the elevator, just as she was heading inside.

The little bits of normalcy in her life did little to distract her from what awaited them in Irkalla.

_Yuri-kun's having nightmares about it? I wish he'd tell me these sorts of things_ , she thought. _...Am I being as nosy as Shunya-senpai?_

She couldn't help her own surprise at herself, too; how _hadn't_ she been having nightmares about what Mika's talking shadow would be? Had Suzuka? Tomorrow would tell.

-.-.-

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

…

"You two look terrible," Suzuka bluntly told them.

Hisako and Yuri shared a look. "Can I see the new throwing knives you bought?" the blonde asked, changing the subject.

"Yes! I've already practiced throwing them, and I can't really master the whole hitting-with-the-pointy-end but they're a lot easier to throw than those things we made!" Suzuka dug around in her backpack while they walked. She pulled out a case, about a dozen black knives as long as her forearm bundled together lying inside.

"I can't wait to see this. Remind me to stand _far_ away," Yuri said.

"Dude, come on! I've been throwing things since middle school. Look at these arms! They may bounce off their handles half the time, but I'm pretty decent with my aim, if I say so myself. It was all about adjusting to the balance and grip…" Suzuka chattered on about the technicalities of throwing different objects as they entered the cemetery.

The day was bright, almost hot, and muggy, yet she felt a chill go down her spine. Hisako couldn't pinpoint the cause of the sensation. _Is it just dread?_ She thought she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, but nothing was there. _Dumuzi wouldn't be here, right?_ At least, she hoped he wasn't following them. She was fine not seeing him again for a long, long time.

Irkalla seemed colder than usual by comparison to the day above. She hoped that, too, was her imagination. There was no urgency as they changed clothes; now that they were approaching the reality of seeing what happened to Irkalla in the wake of Mika's death, she only felt apprehension. Yuri seemed to be feeling it even worse than she was, and Suzuka's explanations stuttered to a stop.

Outside the gap in the wall for the first floor, Hisako paused to ask Nergal a question. "Who was Ninhursag?"

He stared at her with his bright green eyes for a long moment before responding. "Is she the one Ngeshtin-ana killed?"

"Yes," she replied and Yuri fidgeted.

"An older mother goddess. Even you should recognize her, Inanna."

"Like you did?" she shot back. He wisely did not answer her. He confirmed what Dumuzi had told her, which was all she really wanted from him, anyway.

They entered the maze, and were set upon at once by flaming hounds. Someone screamed and Hisako was thrown into Yuri. The canine shadow leapt on her, teeth gnashing just over her face, and she kept her hands around its throat just to keep it off. She couldn't summon Inanna—she wasn't bleeding, and her only option for that was to stick her hand in the beast's jaws, but that would likely take fingers off. Her knife and staff had both been knocked out of her grasp.

Lightning forked down and she felt it zing through her skin where she was holding the hound back. It dissipated into smoke and Hisako sat up, shaking out her burned hands. "Thank you—" When she turned to Suzuka, she found the petite girl laying near the opposite wall, curled into the fetal position, and there was so much blood.

"Shit—"

"Suzuka-chan!"

Both Hisako and Yuri scrambled over to her, and she was alarmed to find that Suzuka's hands were clamped tight over her neck. Scarlet seeped out between her fingers. Yuri sliced open his arm and hovered over her. "You're going to have to pull your hands away," he told her as Enlil burst into being above him.

There was terror in her eyes and a heartbeat of hesitation passed. But she pulled away. There was a gash almost as long as Hisako's palm in the side of her neck that bled freely for just a second before Enlil jammed his brush into the wound. Suzuka stiffened and spluttered out paint. "That stung."

"Stung?!" Hisako repeated shrilly. Yuri gestured for another coat of paint and the paintbrush nearly got Hisako as she threw herself onto Suzuka. "Sorry, sorry, oh my gosh, you're okay, right?"

"I'm better now. Feels all tingly."

"I think I just lost ten years off my life," Yuri croaked. "You're… _fine_. Right."

"I am now," Suzuka said and gave him a thumbs up. She sat up, with Hisako still half on her, and carefully prodded her neck. It was covered with wet paint, but beneath it, they could see the flesh had mostly knitted, leaving a raised scab or scar. "That left a mark."

Yuri ran a hand through his hair, and as an afterthought, tied it back. "I'm not sure how well I can fix scars. Not even sure how well I can heal stuff."

"...Think you can say you got it at practice?" Hisako weakly asked.

"It's already mostly healed, isn't it?" They had never dealt with large, obvious injuries before. What Enlil's magic paint didn't fix, they could hide with clothing or the injury was minor enough it didn't matter. Suzuka rubbed at it again and made a face at the bluish-mint smear it left. "We'll just… figure that out later. Too bad it's too hot out for scarves."

"It's been too warm out for that for awhile," Hisako replied and sat back. Suzuka prodded at her neck yet again. "Stop that."

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Well, don't pick at it!"

"I'm not _picking_!"

Yuri stopped the argument by having Enlil cover her in more paint, and not gently. "Let's get going. We have a lot of ground to cover."

Spooked, Hisako became hypervigilant after that. She and Suzuka alternated having their Personas out, and Enlil disappeared after Yuri fell into a grumpy silence. It wasn't far into the maze, still following their arrows, when she noticed that most of the shadows happened to be hellhounds or the crying ones. She made ice skates to chase after a couple of them, but soon they had literally more vials of magic water than they knew what to do with.

She knew Suzuka caught on to the monster population, too, but they didn't say anything in front of Yuri. He was probably all too aware of it himself.

As they entered the gallery section of the first level—they had managed to paint arrows the entire way there with that trip—they encountered their first shadow change. The first set of rooms with paintings were empty, save the multicolored footprints leading out of the frames.

"That doesn't look good," Suzuka said.

"Brace yourselves," Hisako replied.

Yuri fell back, closer to her, unease clear, though he didn't speak. By the time they passed the second set of rooms, with the same footprints leaving out, he had grabbed her. She shifted her staff to her other hand so she could offer that to him. He quickly took it, but didn't meet her eyes.

"Uh, guys? Am I seein' this right? What the hell is that?" Suzuka called from ahead of them.

"...A chameleon?" Hisako replied, equal parts confused and horrified. It looked like one, except about as tall as they were, and pure white, save for its navy blue belly. The monster turned around to face them, sea blue eyes swivelling, and she nearly gagged when she saw the painted lady legs sticking out of its mouth. The chameleon slurped down the painting and colors ran down its jaw like drool. It smiled when both of its eyes found them.

It was impossible to tell who started backing up first, but when the shadow lashed out with its tongue, all three of them bolted. A clap of thunder followed, and Hisako twisted and slung ice down the hall behind them, making it slip and slide as it tried to pursue them. Tiamat zapped it again as they ducked around a corner. Hisako found herself pressed up against the wall with Yuri, Suzuka on the other side, beckoning her large Persona back out of view with her.

It hadn't spoken, but that was a new, unique, stronger-than-average shadow and that raised more than a few warning flags. She looked up at Yuri out of the corner of her eye. He was nearly as white as the monster, but he didn't seem especially taxed, and his nose wasn't bleeding. He still had Enlil out, too. "Yuri-kun, that thing—"

Suzuka screamed. A tongue slapped against the far wall, whipped around the corner where she was, and stuck to her. She swore colorfully before it pulled back and took her with it.

They rushed back out into the hallway—just to slide on the ice Hisako had created. Yuri slammed onto his back and she ran into the wall, but she used it to haul herself back up to her feet. Inanna mentally scolded her. Hisako pointed at the chameleon and sent back her aggravation. "Use a bufula! Aim it at its mouth!"

The shadow's wide mouth froze solid, open, Suzuka's legs half in it. She laughed feebly. "Never so happy to have my feet go numb!" the redhead called.

"Inanna, more ice," Hisako mumbled and held up her staff as she slid over to the half-frozen monster. She practically felt her Persona roll her eyes behind the blindfold.

Just as she began to wonder how they were going to chip Suzuka free but not the chameleon, the white monster was neatly bisected. The rush of wind lagged a moment behind. Hisako jumped back to avoid getting pinned under the chunk of ice and Suzuka's arms windmilled as she thumped to the ground. Yuri made his way toward them, using the wall as a guide, and Enlil floated behind him with a grumpier expression than usual.

"That was new," Suzuka said as she twisted around to see him. "Right? Or could you do that the entire time? Because I'm gonna be a little pissed if you could do that the entire time."

"It's new." He gave the corpse a dirty look before he knelt by her. It melted into thick, rainbow-colored goop before it sublimated into smoke.

He didn't speak much as they broke Suzuka out and Enlil smeared his paintbrush over her legs. She still limped and her skin was painfully cold to the touch, but she swore she would be fine and they couldn't do much, anyway.

_If we had a teammate with fire magic_ , Hisako thought. Suzuka's arm was over her shoulders and they made their way slowly but steadily through the rest of the art gallery. It seemed as if the chameleon had either eaten or run off the rest of the paintings. They were alone with the paint-splattered rooms. _But Dumuzi is the only one we've met. It's possible whoever gets kidnapped next could, but…_

But she didn't want to think about another possession so soon after Mika. And her list of possible targets was short. She couldn't think about her only remaining school social link. Mathias. It was the only connection they had, but she just couldn't stand to think about the possibility.

She squinted up at Yuri out of the corner of her eye. He was still being quiet. It was understandable, but worrying. _This place still seems to reflect the person whose level we're on. Is it because they still have some control from when the lady promised it to them? Or is it because we killed its last boss?_ The talking shadows claimed they ruled, but they had also admitted that it was in lieu of Yuri or Suzuka. Were they just taking some control back? She figured it was passive, anyway, otherwise there wouldn't be _any_ monsters.

"Is it just me, or is it creepy when he's silent this long?" Suzuka whispered.

"Um, a little," she replied, glancing back up at him. If he'd heard, he didn't react. Very rarely had he gone so long without talking. "Can you blame him?"

"Hell no! If _I_ ran into a thing that looked like my Persona that was _eating_ the pictures I made while under the spell of a goddess—"

" _I_ didn't make them," Yuri ground out.

"Looked like…?"

"And it _did not_ look like Enlil," he added.

"Sorry," Suzuka muttered, cowed. But it had Hisako thinking all over again.

Enlil was certainly not a chameleon, or even reptilian. But he was white, and the underside of his cloak was dark blue, and he did use paint… She would have chalked it up to a coincidence if she didn't remember Yuri's outburst in front of Shunya the day before. " _I've been having nightmares about Enlil._ " And Dumuzi, and Irkalla, but he had started with his own Persona.

"I can _hear_ you thinking," he told her.

"It's what I do," she replied, half a joke.

"Someone's gotta," Suzuka chimed in.

"Well, stop it. Thinking never did us any good down here."

"I've got to disagree," Hisako said in disbelief. "How, exactly, is thinking a bad thing? Okay, I'm not exactly a strategist, but there are a lot of mysteries to sort out and it's not like we have anything else to do down here except beat up bad guys, have heart to hearts, and think."

He winced at her words but he didn't back down. "You're not… We're not exactly…" He groaned in exasperation and Hisako stopped to turn to him fully. Suzuka looked down the hallway—the large room and the door to signal the end of the floor were in sight—but stayed near her. Yuri looked ready to cry or bolt, but he continued, "It's not the same for you, Fujihara. You aren't tied to this place, not in the same way, so your thinking doesn't matter."

"Irkalla doesn't just will things into existence because we think about them," Hisako said, but faltered once she heard herself. Hounds, weeping shadows, and the Enlil-colored chameleon.

"Hey, how about we just get moving again? I can mostly feel my legs!" Suzuka exclaimed. She pulled her arm off of the blonde's shoulders and twirled to show she was good. She only wobbled a little. "C'mon, the door's right over there, and then we can go see if I have a Tiamat-colored thing waiting for you to psychoanalyze!"

She didn't like the implication that she was less attached to the situation than they were, but she wasn't going to argue. Yuri shrugged and followed Suzuka down the hallway. Hisako had little choice but to follow them.

They opened the door to the second floor and found a rainstorm within. It wasn't thundering as badly as it had been when they'd ventured down to take care of Suzuka's talking shadow, but Yuri tensed at a distant rumble. Suzuka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "So, what does this mean about my state of mind?"

"I'm going to see if I can get new umbrellas," Hisako replied. They still had the ones the twins had given her the previous time, but they hadn't brought them with. She had figured Suzuka's first thunderstorm had been caused by the shadow. She dug her key out of her pocket, summoned Inanna to make a shiny slab of ice, and was just inside the door to the Velvet Room when she remembered that she hadn't seen the assistants since before Mika's death. Octavia and Atticus hit her like two freight trains.

Hisako nearly fell back out of the room, but they kept her pressed against them with grips of steel. "Dear Hisa-chan! We've been so worried!" Atticus said, voice muffled by her shoulder.

"I've been more worried!" Octavia declared into her hair. She might've been petting her. It was difficult to tell with all of the sudden contact.

"You have not."

"I have so."

"C-Can I—need to breathe—" Hisako gasped out. The assistants released her at once, save her hands, one in each. She was used to that part.

"It's been so long!" Atticus said with an earnest grin.

"We've been concerned, but it's very gratifying to see you in good health once more," his sister added sincerely.

Hisako wanted to hide from their attentiveness. "I'm sorry for not, um, visiting earlier, but with things as they've been, it's been a little busy. And I really just need to get some more umbrellas right now and get back out there. Could I have another quest?"

They glanced sideways at one another. She wondered if they possessed twin telepathy. Or regular telepathy, for that matter. "...Of course, dear guest," Octavia said in a cool, professional tone and Hisako abruptly realized she'd messed up when they dropped her hands.

"We have drawn up a preliminary list of items we may exchange with you in exchange for other items—"

"No, I didn't mean it like—" Hisako tried.

"—and services performed," Octavia finished. With a gesture, she pulled a curled piece of paper out of the air. "You may choose whichever ones you like or feel confident completing, but you may also only select three at a time."

"I didn't mean to say I wasn't happy to see you," she said, but their expressions remained closed-off. It was unnerving to see them act like they had before, when they had been so eerily emotionless, and it only increased her mounting panic. "I-I messed up, with Mika-chan, and you guys are tied to all of the Persona stuff. I didn't mean to avoid you for so long and I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm just using you two. I just needed some space, please."

Octavia only handed her the list. Frustrated and worried, Hisako realized she didn't know what to do. The Velvet Room assistants were confusing to interact with on a good day, but this sort of sudden change forcibly reminded her that while they were probably older than they looked, and while they certainly weren't human, they definitely had feelings and they were definitely more emotionally immature than she felt she could handle right then.

But before she could work herself into a tizzy trying to figure out what to do, she saw Atticus give his sister a fast, nervous glance.

Hisako pounced. She grabbed his gloved hands in hers and told him, "Atticus, I am sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring or using you. Please, don't just be my helpers in the Velvet Room—be my _friends_."

His poker face held out for a beat, but then, it crumpled as he broke into a pleased grin and blush. She let out the breath she'd been holding when he grasped her hands back. "Nothing would please me more, my dear Hisa-chan," Atticus said and brought her hand to his lips.

She did not pull away, but she berated herself for not expecting it. They both turned expectantly to Octavia, but she remained staring straight ahead, impassive mask set firmly in place. "Octavia, I am sorry. I shouldn't have acted like you were a convenience for me," she told her.

"I am here only to expedite and ease your journey in any way I can, dear guest," she replied.

"Sister, dear Hisa-chan didn't mean to use you for an umbrella," Atticus said, and Hisako tried not to take offense to his wording.

"She must complete a minor quest in exchange for the item she requests."

"Octavia…"

Atticus squeezed her hands and pulled her gently towards the door. "My sister may be difficult at times," he said, and Hisako may have seen Octavia's eye twitch behind him, "but please, pay her no heed. She will be fine."

"I didn't mean to make her mad."

"Expressing feelings in this manner with our cherished guest is still a novelty to us," he said and smiled so tenderly it made her stomach flip over, "so we may take unexpected slights or stresses more seriously than you may be accustomed to. Please, be patient with us, and I will speak to her later."

Hisako recalled Igor's warning about them becoming too attached with a twinge of guilt. "Should I…?"

"All you should do right now is complete a request to obtain the umbrellas you desired." He plucked the paper from her hands and scanned it. "How do you feel about sunflower petals?"

"Does it have to be sunflowers?"

"What other measurements do humans take?"

"Sunflowers it is. How many do I need?"

"Six. Traditionally, we will give you the reward after the completion of the quest," Atticus said and Octavia snorted, "but I will give you this one as a personal show of faith. Please, come back when you collect six rambling helianthus petals."

"Six _what_?"

"I believe you have encountered them before," he said, sounding puzzled.

"First, how do you know that, and second, these shadow things have _names_?"

He pulled a blue book from nowhere with his free hand, staring blankly at her all the while. "It's our job to record things."

" _What_ have you been recording?!"

"We normally prioritize recording Personas of our guest, but as you mysteriously lack the Wild Card, Octavia and I have been busying ourselves by other means. We've had a lot of unexpected free time."

Hisako made a note to investigate the book later. So the remnants of humanity's collective unconscious had _names_? "Thank you so much. I'll be back when I get those petals for you." She began to leave, umbrellas tucked under her arm, but paused in the doorway. She told them, "And, um, maybe we could hang out in the city again sometime soon? There's a pet store I'd like you to see."

Atticus' eyes sparkled. Octavia's expression did not change. It had been worth a shot, and at least she'd made the effort; she had to tell herself that as she left the Velvet Room with guilt nestled in the back of her mind, next to Inanna as she returned.

"That took a little while," Suzuka remarked, craning her neck up to look at Hisako. The blonde squinted down at her. She was laying on the ground, chin in her hands, kicking her feet idly. "Problems?" she asked cheerily.

"Just a couple of issues with the assistants. It seems I'm a little more insensitive today than I'd realized," she muttered, and turned her narrowed eyes on Yuri when he had the gall to grunt.

"Good, now we can avoid getting soaked. Let's get going."

Yuri's usual Irkalla touchiness, mixed with the twins' erratic reactions, did not make for a good mood. Being rained on, grabbed whenever Yuri jumped at thunder, and having to ignore their shortcut in favor of tracking down sunflower shadows worsened it. The umbrellas were nigh on useless after a point and she was certain their detour's duration had been hours rather than minutes. Whatever remorse she'd felt earlier had all but evaporated by the time she reopened the Velvet Room door and shoved a fistful of wet flower petals at Atticus. Her own annoyance only fed back into her bad mood.

Inanna sat heavily in the back of her brain, relaxed and pleased by her anger.

Yuri shockingly kept his silence throughout Suzuka's floor, other than shouts during the fights they got into. There were no changes Hisako could pinpoint in the shadow population and nothing strong or strange ambushed them at the end. Suzuka's patience was clearly thinning between her misses with her knives and receiving a disproportionate amount of injuries.

They couldn't reach Mika's floor fast enough. They left the thunderstorm and weathered statues of the second floor behind, and while that took the edge off their collective bad mood, Hisako knew they were a ticking time bomb.

The mirrors and glass seemed eerier than she recalled. That monster population was sparser, but still relatively normal. They dodged a lemur, destroyed numerous canines, and were surprised by a pair of ample-chested doctors with scalpels. Suzuka nearly got gutted before they destroyed them, too, and for a moment, watching the redhead huddle over her injured stomach with shaking shoulders, Hisako was afraid the bubble would pop.

But she just exhaled, long and low, and wiped off the excess paint on her legs.

"Are you… okay?" Hisako asked hesitantly, breaking the fragile silence.

"'m fine. How much magic water do we have left?"

"Haven't quite depleted our stores yet," Yuri deadpanned. Hisako was relieved it didn't break into an argument of some sort. As if on purpose, he had to add, "So please, feel free to continue needing healing every ten minutes. It's a _joy_."

"Sweet shitting sunshine, you did _not_ just—"

"Suzuka-chan!" Hisako lunged at her and got bodily between them.

"Maybe if I didn't have to do all the heavy lifting I wouldn't get creamed in every other fight!"

"Maybe if you didn't throw yourself headfirst—"

"Yeah, because it's _my fault_ I'm in front!"

"If you weren't so reckless!"

"You think I'm being—"

"She's not being reckless!" Hisako broke in, worried it'd come to blows at the rate they were going.

"I know she's not," Yuri said, voice cracking, and sunk down into a crouch. Suzuka shifted her weight back, away from them, and crossed her arms. "I didn't ask to be the healer."

"We're okay taking the lead on this. It's nice to have backup, but I'm sorry we have to put that pressure on you. All of our Personas are slowly growing, maybe one of us will get healing magic soon?" Hisako said, but it sounded dumb even to her ears.

He looked up at her through his shaggy bangs, eyes narrowed, mouth a tight line. "It's you, too, you know."

"What?"

"You're our only way out of here."

"...Oh."

She turned to look at Suzuka, but the other girl averted her gaze. She shrugged and mumbled, "I'm just unlucky today, I'm sure, and I haven't figured out how to throw these stupid knives yet."

"You don't have to act as our shield. We're a team. And Inanna already has second-tier ice magic, so she's plenty strong. I wasn't aware you were trying to protect me."

"Like I said, I've just been unlucky today."

"I'll buy you a lucky rabbit foot when we're done."

"Or just make your own luck," Yuri all but growled. Suzuka rolled her eyes and scowled at him, but she also extended a hand down to help him back to his feet. "Here's the punchline to our joke of a team: I have a heart attack from stress and you're both left without a healer."

"Not funny, dude."

"Never said it was a funny joke."

"So we're agreed?" Hisako fretted, hovering at their side.

"We never really decided these things in the first place. Not like we took a vote or appointed a leader…"

Yuri put his hands up and quickly said, "Not me."

Suzuka mimicked him. "Not me!"

"That's not how this works!" Hisako cried.

"You got your Persona first," he pointed out.

"By a couple hours!"

"You have the magical blue door."

She folded her arms and pursed her lips, displeased. "You two don't like it when I try to come up with the strategies."

"No, we don't like it when you act all clinical about us," Suzuka happily corrected. "I'm totally fine coming up with things other than 'keep away from the fat purple things' and 'beat on things until something bleeds'."

"I was already following your lead, so don't look at me," Yuri said.

"This is just making it official," Suzuka agreed.

"...Fine. But this really isn't going to change anything, other than the fact that I'll stop using the phrase 'Persona seniority' and just start reminding you that you elected me." While she was glad to avoid an argument (mostly), her mood didn't get better with the revelation that she had missed out on a couple important points. "So, officially, until I—we—think of something better, we'll just keep going on largely like we have been. Suzuka-chan and I will be in front, _equally_ , and we'll handle the bulk of the fighting. Yuri-kun, you're in charge of healing and vanguard."

"Vanguard is the frontline," Suzuka said with a stifled giggle.

"Then what are the back ones?" Hisako asked, confused.

"Uhh. Back-guard? Rearguard? Just watch our asses!" she declared and Yuri facepalmed. "Not that it should be a difficult notion for you," she added with a wink.

"Oh, joy. Just what I always wanted."

"Please don't do that. You're our reserve. Just, uh, conserve energy when you can. You need to rely on magic a lot more than we do."

"Because the super tall guy needs to be protected by the girls," Suzuka said.

"Well, he really leaves a lot of the fighting up to Enlil," Hisako said sheepishly, rubbing her head. She and Suzuka certainly weren't afraid to get up close and personal. Mostly on accident, but they'd proven that they could handle small doses of combat themselves.

"I'm an artist, not an athlete." He colored and mumbled out something else under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Suzuka pressed, cupping a hand around her ear.

"I… My hands. I can't risk getting them hurt," he grumbled, cheeks reddening further.

"Not that we exactly want to, but that's understandable. You have your, uh, roles," Hisako cut back in before Suzuka could tease him. She was happy to have most of the tension defused, but tempers were probably still simmering in the background. "Let's go, I'd rather get this over with while we're _not_ totally exhausted."

"Getting there," he muttered.

"But we're in the last leg now."

They didn't have the energy to waste breaking mirrors and no minor gods to do it for them. They had to wind their way through the headache-inducing maze, avoiding fights when they could. When they couldn't, Hisako kept an eye on Suzuka's behavior. It wasn't too bad, even if her prior injuries showed. She just worked Inanna double time to make up for it.

Despite their emotional reprieve, being in Mika's territory again was taxing. Seeing themselves—eyes wild, hair sweaty and dirty, clothes ripped and stained—around every other corner in the mirrors made it worse. Hisako tried to fix her hair every time she caught sight of it, but she quailed under Yuri and Suzuka's combined judgment. She could braid and walk, but with reminders of their half-feral appearance everywhere, it was a little distracting.

Yuri retreated back into uncharacteristic silence. Suzuka made a halfhearted attempt at conversation, but it was like always. What was there to talk about that was new? They'd had so much time in Irkalla already, and none of them wanted to speak of what they were approaching. Hisako surprised herself at how easy it was to ignore their impending… whatever. Emotional heartbreak? Difficult fight? Catharsis or nightmare fuel?

Suzuka caught sight of it first. They had to stand at a specific angle to get enough uninterrupted glass to see into the end area, and all those layers made the image blurry, but there was a lone figure standing in the open space. Humanoid and dressed in light colors, and it might have been holding something. But what concerned her were the large, white shapes behind it. She hoped it was her imagination.

While they knew they were close, it was still a feat to actually _get_ to it. Irkalla's third floor seemed especially twisty, with the added layer of taunting with the glass walls. "When we get out of here, I'm buying a huge hourglass," Hisako declared as she had Inanna conjure some ice to suck on. "I'm going to give it to Nergal and I'm going to make him time how long we spend down here."

"I know it's been long enough that my stomach wants more than energy bars," Suzuka said. "And, to be honest, I'm sort of tired. Sleepy-tired, not just exhausted-tired. But at least we don't have to worry about this throwing off our sleep schedules too much since I know I totally go home and fall into bed after these jaunts."

"What do you think the largest hourglass you can buy is?"

"I dunno, maybe waist-high?"

"I meant the time amount."

"Hell if I know. Normal ones are one hour, right? Maybe three, or four? I bet there are _massive_ ones that are, like, ten hours!"

"I'm not getting one of those." She pictured the three of them trying to carry a futon-sized hourglass down the twisting stairs. They'd probably trip and fall and die underneath it. "A rabbit's foot, an hourglass, new snacks…"

"Maybe more than snacks sometime."

"We have to carry whatever we bring. And we can't cook anything." And she was hesitant to admit that they were spending enough time in the land of the dead to warrant needing meals. ...There were more floors. If their kidnap-possession-rescue routine went on for much longer, they might have to face the very real possibility of having to take _naps_ down there. Meals and sleep. _How much more time does each floor add?_ she thought in a sudden panic. If she could get Nergal to time them, and she could figure out each floor by subtracting them—

"Do you think we can eat shadows?" Suzuka interrupted her train of thought with a worse one. She had been avoiding that subject even harder than the others.

"We're _not_ eating anything we find down here!" Hisako squealed. "Leader's rule!"

"...Says the girl who's drank things the shadows drop," Yuri pointed out, joining the conversation at last.

"That's different! That's loot!"

"If these things start dropping sandwiches, I'm going for it," Suzuka warned, and she sounded serious.

Their semi-light mood was erased (again) when the trio finally made it to the end of the third floor. And Hisako's earlier fear was confirmed.

"It's…" Yuri began, but trailed off with a choked sound.

"An angel," Hisako finished.

The humanoid shadow turned to face them, expression benign. It was taller than any of them, but not as tall as their Personas, and had four great, feathery wings keeping it aloft. She couldn't tell if it was meant to be male or female; its figure was slim, but devoid of any curves, and its face was pretty but not particularly soft in the jaw or cheekbones. In one hand, it held a leather-bound tome, and in the other, a dagger with a blade like a curving snake.

They stood there and stared at it. She may have heard Yuri sniff. It didn't have a halo and it didn't look anything like Mika or what she remembered of her Persona, but the grief at having to face an angel in the place where they had lost Mika welled up within her, fast and deep.

Suzuka shattered the silence with a shout. "Well?! Going to taunt us about losing our friend, huh?! Let's hear you laugh at that! Let's have it!" She spread her arms wide and walked toward it. The angel cocked its head to one side.

On one hand, Hisako wanted to get the talking over and done with, too. But on the other, she feared what it would say. But seeing Suzuka approach it so fearlessly, she made her decision. "Say what you will! We've come to take this floor from you, too, just like we've done with all the o-others!" She swallowed quickly to fight back any tears.

The shadow flipped open its book and it rustled to a random page. A beam of light narrowly missed Suzuka. It looked like the same sort of magic Mika had used. "Tiamat, zap that thing!" Suzuka backed up and called out her Persona. Tiamat advanced on the shadow with a toothy smile.

While it could remain airborne, it didn't seem to move very fast, and couldn't get out of the way of the serpent's electricity. It opened its book again, to a different page, and icicles rained from its wings. The girls skittered out of the way. Tiamat hissed and retreated to pull large ice slivers out of her hide, whereas Inanna batted away the attack with only mild annoyance.

Behind them, Yuri vocalized the realization just as Hisako arrived at it. "It's silent. It's not going to talk."

"Why not? I thought end-floor bosses always talked?" Suzuka called back.

"They do! But this… Maybe it's because she's g-gone. This is different." She couldn't see any other reason why the first two would talk and the third wouldn't. It saved them some further heartbreak, though, and she wasn't sure she wanted to speak with that one, anyway.

Another page in the book created a wall of flames. Inanna dove out of the way, teeth bared in a mute snarl, and even Tiamat had to get back to avoid her thundercloud evaporating. The fire crackled and the book remained open to feed it. The angel smiled, safe on the other side.

Safe until a gale a wind cut through its flames. The shadow staggered to the side, black blood seeping through its white robes, and Tiamat took the opportunity to circle around the fire. Hisako turned back as Yuri and Enlil approached. "Just because it's not talking our ear off doesn't mean we should get cozy with this thing. There's three of us and one of it—let's just get it already."

"It knows different types of magic. We should be careful."

"And our Personas are weak to different kinds. It can't keep all of us away at once."

The angel panicked when Enlil cut down another swath of its fire, and it danced back out of his slash, straight into Tiamat's waiting claws. She grabbed it and tried to rip its book away, but the shadow stabbed her with its dagger. The Persona twisted away and thrashed as she tried to reach the blade.

But by then, Enlil had blown out most of the fire. Hisako waved to Suzuka to get her to call Tiamat back and called, "Inanna, now's your chance!"

With another gust of wind, Enlil skated around behind it, and then threw it in Inanna's direction. Hisako felt a surge of sick glee as Inanna only raised her staff and braced herself.

The angel got impaled with a wet sound. Hisako gagged. It kicked a couple times before it melted off, splattering onto the ground and vanishing into wisps of dark smoke. "Was that really necessary?" Her Persona grinned back, causing her to sigh. "It got the job done. I just wish you hadn't had to make it so flashy."

"I'd rather a fast, flashy end than dragging that out," Yuri muttered. Enlil went back to him with the air of a soothing parent and raised his cloak, as if to invite him in, but the boy swatted him away with a huff. "Go away, Enlil."

"Hey guys!" Suzuka shouted as she and Tiamat slithered toward them. "I got a dagger!"

Hisako dismissed Inanna and sat down while she waited for them to make their way back over. The fight hadn't been as exhausting as she'd feared, possibly because Inanna hardly used any magic. Yuri plopped down beside her and rubbed at his eyes. "How are you holding up?" she asked him.

"Better than I could be. Worse than I want to be. What are we going to do with a dagger? Sakuraba can't throw it and I'm not sure we should start selling weapons."

She accepted his change of subject without argument. "I'm sure it looks ancient and special, maybe we could pass it off as an antique."

"We should probably dull it before trying to sell it."

"Just in case."

Suzuka dropped off of Tiamat as her massive Persona dipped her head. She disappeared a moment later. "Wiggly dagger! Wanna bet to see how bad I can throw this one?"

"I don't want to be anywhere near that thing," Yuri replied.

"Maybe the twisty bit makes it throw better! A case of it being so stupid it actually works."

"Would your cousin or someone he knows buy it if we said it was an antique?"

"Hmm, maybe? There's some jewels or something in the hilt, maybe that old lady would buy it."

"Why would an old lady want a dagger?"

"What other choice do we have?"

Suzuka flopped down between them, one leg thrown over Yuri's and an arm across Hisako's waist, and sighed deeply. "Okay, so while that involved less emotional ravaging than I anticipated, I still have a surprise for you two." They exchanged a nervous look. Suzuka rolled over so she could pull her backpack off, then dug around in it. With a triumphant sound, she pulled out a can, and then another. It took a moment before Hisako realized it was beer.

"Why do you have alcohol?" she asked. Suzuka shoved the two cans into her lap and, alarmingly, continue to dig in her bag. She checked the cans and yes, it was actually alcoholic.

"Hiroya buys me drinks sometimes, but I also know where his booze stash is at home. He replenishes it every time he visits. There's only two cans because I make it a policy to never take the last of something, and there were only three left. And I guess it's all warm by now. And here we go!" She pulled out an unopened bottle of cheap sake. "Okay, so I don't have cups—"

"But you have booze," Yuri cut in.

"We don't have to drink it all," she replied defensively, cradling the bottle to her chest. "But I thought we'd be upset. And this can be a good way to deal with things and vent a little. And we don't have to drink _all_ of it!"

"Do you drink often?" Hisako asked in concern.

"No! Just when Hiroya visits. And I'm not stupid, I know how to drink."

"Well… I don't," she said awkwardly, since she didn't want to get into an argument right then.

"You can try new things then!"

"Hold up, I'm still lost. When did we pass the point when we decided that drinking in Irkalla is a _good_ idea?" Yuri demanded.

"It'll burn out of our systems on the way back! And where else are we supposed to drink, huh?" she challenged. "Let's just drink to Mika-chan's memory. Here. I-I thought it might be a good idea, that's all."

"I'm never one to turn down a supposed good idea from a cute girl," he said with a shrug. Hisako glared at him, betrayed, and momentarily warred with herself. They knew for a fact the floor would be clear of shadows on the way back. It was a long walk back to the last door, too, so they'd probably be feeling better by then. And it wasn't as if they'd get drunk.

And she really wanted to be dumb and _not_ responsible for a little while.

"Fine."

They didn't have cups, and they didn't want to try to use water bottles, but if she were being honest with herself, sharing drinks was about last on her list of things to care about. They'd already gone through so much together, why bother caring?

Suzuka teased Yuri about not liking beer, telling him he should be manlier, but Hisako didn't really like it, either. Sake was sweeter, but it burned her throat and made her dizzier. And, despite saying they weren't there to drink a lot, a can and a half of beer and half the bottle of sake were gone before she'd processed it.

"We should—back! Get going back!" Suzuka declared and jumped to her feet. Hisako needed help not swaying. "We know there's no monsters, and we don't want to be late!"

"Time is dead here," she mumbled back. Her stomach protested the move from stationary to upright.

"I don't want to be here anymore," Yuri said and stood. He took the bottle from Suzuka, walked (stumbled, a little) a ways out, and dumped out a fair bit. Suzuka squawked in indignation. "For Mika," he responded before she could ask.

"...Fine, okay, she gets some too. Oi, Mika-chan!" Hisako jumped when the other girl cupped her hands around her mouth to shout. "We'll see you later! I hope you like sake!"

"Don't look at me, I never… never drank with her. You think Personas can fix hangovers?"

"Hangovers only happen if you get really drunk!"

"I'm not really sober."

"What do you think drunk Personas are like?" Hisako asked.

"I don't wanna know," Yuri quickly replied.

"You guys are so, so whiny! It wasn't even that much!" Suzuka lamented as they got to walking, slowly, as they tried to keep their balance.

"We've never drank before."

It wasn't long before Hisako realized three things: her stomach hurt from the sake, her head hurt from the glass and mirrors, and she wanted to cry. It seemed rude that she hadn't cried for Mika when fighting the angel. But she couldn't cry on command, and despite what the media told her, she didn't seem particularly more emotional while drinking. There was a little bit of fuzziness in her brain, and she was pretty sure Inanna was laughing at her, but she could still think clearly. Clearly enough.

"I want more sake," she announced.

"Why?" Yuri asked but Suzuka handed over the bottle without question.

"I want to cry."

"Why? You're not an attractive crier."

"You don't say stuff like that to girls!" Suzuka snapped and smacked him with the flat side of the wiggly dagger. "I'm not drinking with you again! You get mean."

"You're the one hitting people."

"You're hitting _on_ people."

"I thought you were mad at me because I _wasn't_!"

"You're mean to Hisako-chan and. And. You called me cute earlier. Don't think I didn't notice."

"My mistake. Won't happen again."

"You guys are giving me a headache!" Hisako burst out. She took another drink and told them, "Leader says quiet time. All the mirrors and stuff are bad enough."

It seemed a cruel trick of perspective that it took less time to get back than it did going in. Thunder rumbled ominously as they went up the stairs to the second floor, but mercifully, the storm had lessened to a drizzle. Suzuka ran out into it, laughing, before they could stop her. Yuri shrugged and opened the umbrella for them.

"She's crazy."

"She is not. She might be drunk, though. I'm keeping the bottle from her."

"Do I get any more?" he whined. She rolled her eyes and handed it over. "I'm pretty sure this stuff is making me more tired than we usually are."

"Then stop drinking it!"

"Maybe I want to cry, too."

"Don't be a jerk."

The rain stopped completely by the time they were ducking through the shortcut hole, though Suzuka was nicely soaked and beaming. "You guys are un-fun! It wasn't even that bad."

"I don't like storms," he said.

"I don't want to run right now. I think I'd throw up," Hisako added.

"Un-fun!" Suzuka said and blew a raspberry.

They'd been lucky on the second floor, even with the shortcut, that they hadn't run into any shadows. But she doubted they'd continue the streak with the entire first floor to go through. "We should really draw arrows pointing _back_ , too," she groaned as they stopped in an intersection, trying to remember if it was a right or a left immediately out of the art gallery.

Yuri summoned Enlil by picking at a scab on his arm. The Persona didn't seem affected by the alcohol, even if Yuri was looking more and more sober, too. But when painting arrows, they did turn out a little more crooked than usual.

It was two corners past that that they ran into their first batch of shadows, a scantily clad nurse flanked by a pair of orange gryphons. Inanna came forth as easily as ever, although her emotional input seemed sharper than usual in her mind. But she could fight, and Tiamat snapped up a gryphon shadow like she normally did, so at least they weren't in any danger.

"The sunflowers. You could summon a Persona then, too," Yuri pointed out. It seemed as if he'd been wondering the same things.

"But that was some sort of confusion magic."

"That mimicked a bad trip."

"But I don't think it was anything in our systems." She hoped not.

The sake and beer were all gone by the time they made it out to Nergal. Hisako's head was feeling clearer, though her stomach still churned, and none of them were having any issues walking or talking. But the lion-headed god gave them a weird look regardless.

"I'm buying you an hourglass!" Hisako declared before he was out of earshot.

"See, that didn't turn out so bad!" Suzuka said happily when they made it to their pile of things.

"I still feel sick."

"And I feel tired."

"Not so bad!" she repeated.

They got the barest amount of dressed back into their uniforms, movements sluggish now that the day's adventure was catching up to them. Suzuka stashed the empty bottle and cans back in her bag, packed up her knives, and the girls looked at the twisted dagger with matching thoughtful frowns.

"Just leave it. We can deal with it later."

They hissed when they broke back out into the bright afternoon sunlight. Worse, she had forgotten how hot it had been, and her body didn't like the sudden change in temperature. She suddenly doubted her ability to keep her stomach's contents inside of herself.

They all squinted in the light, shuffling around while they adjusted and tried to reorient herself, and after running into his back, Hisako found herself hiding in Yuri's shadow. "Is this what a hangover feels like?"

"No, we didn't have that—oh. Crud muffin."

Hisako peeked blearily around Yuri. He and Suzuka were both staring at the person now standing in their path. Shunya Morimoto, arms crossed, eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

She did not have the mental or emotional capacity to deal with that right then. She slowly hid back behind Yuri.

"That's some magic trick," Shunya said lightly. "Disappear from sight for all of two seconds, come back up half-dressed and—do you smell like alcohol?"

"Leader, executive decision time. What do we do?" Suzuka hissed at her.

"I'm only leader down there."

"Down _where_?" the upperclassman asked.

Yuri bolted without warning. Hisako flailed without his support and Shunya caught him by the back of the shirt when he tried to make it past him.

"You three seem outfitted for something weird, but your behavior— _what_ were you doing?" He really had the disapproving senpai tone down pat. It bordered on outright parental.

"You're too nosy!" Yuri exclaimed, as if that would save them.

"You've been acting strangely! Especially after yesterday. And now, this!"

"Do we have to have this conversation right here?" Hisako pleaded. Shunya turned his critical eye on the girls. She quickly looked as pathetic as possible.

"...There's a little cafe down the street. We can sit in there and you can tell me what my cute kouhai are up to."

"Why don't you complain when he does it?" Yuri asked as Shunya began marching them out of the cemetery.

"'Cause I'm into older guys," Suzuka told him.

"Can we concentrate on the issue at hand?" Hisako whispered with a nervous glance back at the older boy. _What are we going to tell him?_ There were really no easy excuses to give him. Yuri had dropped enough strange terms in front of him, and then he had seen their disappearing act.

"Senpai, we're clearly fine," Yuri tried again, more calmly.

"You have alcohol on your breath," Shunya countered.

"Artists are known for bucking the rules and doing things like that in the name of creativity."

"Athletes too!" Suzuka chimed in.

"Is that _paint_ in your hair?" he asked in disbelief. Suzuka backed out of the conversation again, fingers tangled in her red curls. "I'm not going to get you three in trouble. I just want to know what's going on, if that's alright with you."

"What if we said no," Yuri said in a low tone.

" _Then_ I would get you three in trouble. Maybe. But I'd really like some answers." Shunya herded them into a coffee shop and all but pushed them into the corner booth. "What does everyone want to drink?" he asked brightly.

"Water," Hisako and Suzuka replied as Yuri grunted, "Coffee. Black."

He left them and they hardly waited before ducking their heads together and whispering frantically. "What can we tell him?! What can we possibly tell him?!"

"I'm not even sure he'd believe the truth!"

"I can't summon the Velvet Room in the middle of a coffee shop!" And Octavia was still mad at her.

"We're going to have to tell him _something_!"

"It can't be the truth! That could make him a target!"

"Would he buy the 'it's too dangerous' excuse?"

"No. If anything, we have to downplay the danger."

"He's going to put two and two together…"

"Such panicked hissing! You'd think you were trying to come up with a way to cheat on an exam," Shunya chirped when he returned, drinks in hand. He slid into the booth next to Yuri, cozily so, despite the taller boy's obvious distress, and pushed the waters across the table to the girls.

"Senpai, do you have to get so close?"

"You and I both know you're a flight risk, Yuri-kun. Besides, it would be rude to separate the girls. Now it looks like we're just on a double date. Or part of a very small mixer."

"Shunya-senpai, please, we're not really in a joking mood," Hisako pleaded. If Yuri hadn't been all but pinned to the wall, she may have become a flight risk, too.

"Then would you care to explain why you three were in such a hurry to go to a cemetery after school?" he asked and sipped at his tea.

She glanced uneasily between Yuri and Suzuka. He was more prone to outbursts but she had the worse track record. It would be better to talk to him before that happened, but Yuri had brought up a good point—would he even believe the truth? "We had some business to take care of. Business that we had to do sooner rather than later," she said, for the sake of saying something.

He nodded in understanding. And didn't say anything.

_Right, he's used to dealing with Yuri-kun. He's going to wait us out_ , she realized with dread growing in her upset stomach.

"That business really only concerns us, and few other parties. We've been keeping it quiet because of some sensitive information." She racked her brain coming up with as much therapist speak as she could recall. If she kept it professional-sounding, they could probably get away with more.

"I see. But as an interested party, I'd like to inquire about the parts that aren't sensitive," Shunya said with another sunny smile.

"W-Well… That is… It involves us three, and Haruka Watanabe…"

"And Mika-san?"

"...And her," Hisako said, wincing. "And that's it."

"What about your magic trick earlier?"

"What magic trick?"

He sipped at his tea again, making it clear he was going to wait that one out.

"We're going down into a big maze to get rid of monsters and rescue kidnapped people," Yuri blurted out.

Hisako hit her head against the table, then a second time for good measure. Maybe if she gave herself a bad enough headache she'd forget the entire conversation.

"Right," Shunya said and set his drink down.

"It's true, that's the terrible part," Yuri groaned. "You won't believe us anyway, and there's no way we're ever going to show you, and the only ways we can prove any of it to you we can't do right now."

Hisako continued hitting her head. Suzuka rubbed her back in a vain stab at comfort.

"So… Like _Labyrinth_?" At their lost looks, he elaborated, "American movie from the 1980s? David Bowie?"

"More like magical girls," Suzuka replied and that earned another thump.

"Hisako-san, please stop that? I'm not freaking out, see?"

"Wasn't worried about you freaking out," she grumbled.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I believe that you believe something happened," Shunya declared. She raised her head just far enough to squint at him. He was better at the therapy speak than she was. "None of you are very good actors. And your behavior has definitely been worrying. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret."

"Thanks for the condescension, senpai," Yuri growled. Hisako kicked him under the table; if Shunya was going to believe they were all just a little off and then drop the matter, they should let him.

"Is this related to all of the things you've been drawing lately?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I want to see one," Shunya said excitedly, eyes sparkling. "I bet they're lovely! I want to see one of these magical creatures."

"That's the wrong reaction to have to this sort of stuff," Suzuka said. "Even if you don't really believe us, for all you know, these are big hulking monsters."

"It's not as if I want to pet one."

"We're not showing you anything."

"You mentioned not showing me anything _here_ …" He trailed off expectantly.

"What if we just said no? Just refused to talk to you about this?" Suzuka asked.

"Assuming you could?"

"Yes."

"Then there's really nothing I would do. While I'm concerned about you and you should _not_ be drinking—or doing vaguely dangerous or confusing magic tricks—I'm not your parent and I wouldn't be mean-spirited enough to tell any teachers, provided you don't make it a habit. And I'd hope it wouldn't hurt any of you, and that Yuri-kun wouldn't skip any more practices."

"I've never skipped for this, we go on Tuesdays to avoid that," Yuri replied, affronted.

Hisako banged her head against the table again. Shunya's smile was pleasant and convincingly far from smug. "I'm sure I could figure out the trick if I were to see it a couple more times."

"No, you wouldn't," she groaned, giving up. "You would just see us walk down those steps and then come back up a moment later. Every time. That's how it works."

"What if I—"

She scooted out of the booth and grabbed her bag. "No. I'm showing you this on two conditions, senpai. The first—you will _never follow us down there_. It's dangerous and could kill you, at the very least. The second, you're in charge of keeping Yuri-kun under control. No more leaks!"

"This is exciting," Shunya said happily as they followed her. She had to find a mirror, or a building with enough glass on it to get a good reflection. Inanna's presence, muffled by the real world, buzzed in annoyance. "It's all very secretive and feels like a spy movie."

"Well, let's keep it a secret. You can't tell anyone, yeah?" Suzuka reminded. He nodded. "And you have to cover for us, if we ever need it and you're able to. And if a creepy lady with black hair and red eyes comes to you promising things, kick her in the shin and run. To one of us. Preferably me."

"No, tell me if that happens," Hisako said wearily. Suzuka's revenge took a backseat to making sure Shunya stayed safe. "Under no circumstances are you go to down into that crypt alone. Even if it seems like you're just following us. It's magic and it wouldn't let you back out. You'd die."

"Even with the dire warnings, this is still a _little_ exciting," Shunya admitted. "Where are we going?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Yuri said pointedly.

"We need a mirror." Glass could work, but they'd have to find an alley with a glass wall, and that was unlikely in that part of the city. She tried to think of other places with mirrors. A bathroom was out of the question.

"Boutique?" Suzuka suggested, pausing mid-step as they passed a clothing store. Hisako stopped a beat afterward.

Piling four of them into a changing room was snug and the attendant gave them a puzzled look, but neither of her classmates would leave. Shunya still looked simply happy to be there, content to let them try whatever they were going to do. "I'm going in first, so just wait here," Hisako commanded and raised her key at the mirror. The door appeared right behind them, which meant she had to squeeze between the boys to get to it. Shunya made a surprised sound when it appeared to them at her touch.

She all but fell into the Velvet Room. "Have you returned already? That door wasn't made in Irkalla," Atticus said and jumped to his feet. Octavia only inclined her head politely in her direction.

"Okay, please don't be offended, but I'd like to use an empty train car for a moment." She didn't want any of her friends dealing with the twins normally, but when one of them was still mad at her, it was doubly out of the question.

"Whatever for?"

"I need to do a magic trick."

Hisako actually screamed in fright when a body fell on top of her. "Ow, oww!" Yuri growled in her ear and Atticus quickly pulled her out of the way as the other three tumbled into the room. The assistants shared a concerned look. "Before you get mad at me, it was those two! And you left an open door behind you!"

"Woah, there are people in here," Suzuka said, frozen on top of him, eyes wide.

"What is this place?" Shunya asked. He didn't sound so happy anymore. "How did you do this?"

Atticus' hand on hers tightened and Hisako pulled the key on the chain back out of her pocket. "I have a key. This place is the Velvet Room, and it exists between dimensions. Or something."

"About that," Atticus murmured.

"Its residents have been helping me figure out what's been going on. This place isn't dangerous, and it's the only place I can go to from anywhere. I just need a reflection. Irkalla—that other place—is the dangerous one that you must never, ever go to."

Shunya nodded as he gaped.

"Are these your… friends?" Atticus asked quietly. He had shifted so he was half behind Hisako. She snorted back a laugh when she realized he was being _shy_.

"Yes, these are my friends."

He lowered his voice and told her, "Dear Hisa-chan, I don't mean to alarm you, but one of your friends doesn't have a Persona."

"Oh, I'm _very_ aware of that."

"This is…" Shunya carefully extracted himself from the pile and peered around the room with awe. "This is magnificent! There's actually something going on! Do you have transformation sequences?"

"Excuse me?" Hisako asked blankly and Suzuka burst out laughing.

"We're not actually magical girls—magical anything!" Yuri said, blushing brilliantly.

"But two of you are girls, and your Personas possess magic," Atticus replied, shying further behind her in his confusion.

"It's a type of story we have. Magic that the girls themselves have, cute outfits, power of friendship," Hisako explained.

"You already possess the power of friendship through your social links," Octavia said loudly, reminding them of her presence again.

"Did you… want cute outfits?" Atticus asked.

"Oh god no," Hisako said, cutting across Suzuka's enthusiastic, "Yes!"

"Yuri-kun, I think you'd look good dressed up for your—whatever you do," Shunya teased. The other boy groaned and buried his face in the carpet to hide its redness. "Alright, so! This is a thing. A thing that happened. Is it alright if I leave now? I'd like to go home and scream into a pillow about transdimensional blue doors. I don't have to sign my name in blood or anything, right?"

"No," Hisako said, once again shutting down Suzuka's, "Yes!"

"Technically speaking, we are not in another dimension, but between them," Atticus murmured with a tug on her hand.

"I don't think that was his point. Shunya-senpai, are you going to be okay?"

"Oh, sure," he replied with a bright smile. "I've just learned that my underclassmen are involved in supernatural things that involved a death and magic and different planes of space and time."

"That is a little more correct, but still—"

"We could answer any other questions you have, if that'd make you feel better."

"I think I've asked quite enough of you already. I can just leave out this door, right?" He barely got permission before ducking out. Yuri gave Atticus one last wary look before following him.

"That didn't go too bad," Suzuka remarked.

"I'm pretty sure we just gave our senpai a panic attack. Not something I'd hoped to ever do. Do you think Yuri-kun knows how to calm someone down in that?"

"He's known him a lot longer than we have. What could we say or do that wouldn't spook him further?"

"Still… I'm worried. Maybe I shouldn't have lost my patience—do you think we could have come up with a better lie? Or distracted him somehow? He seemed pretty calm for the most part, but I got the impression that he tends to wear that expression a lot as a default."

Hisako's concern only grew when a blaze of light signaled a tarot card twirling gracefully down from the ceiling. "What the hell?!" Suzuka demanded and rubbed at her eyes.

"May I?" Atticus said and at her nod, he plucked the card from the air. "The Wheel of Fortune. If I may be so bold, I believe this is a good sign for you, my dear Hisa-chan. And I believe your friend will be fine."

"I sure hope so." They had another person back in on their secret, and not her first pick at that. They had to be more careful. But for now, she could only have faith in Atticus' words. It'd have to be fine.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★☆☆☆ (+2)  
-Secure

Charm: ★☆☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Awkward

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Commiserative

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the President social link of the Fortune arcana!


	17. Resist Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which many cakes are made and gifts are given.

Saturday, June 21st, 2014

…

Hisako ducked shyly into the Cooking Club. She felt awkward—alright, more than awkward—since she had only went to one meeting and afterward vanished for several weeks, but the faces inside brightened at her reappearance. Kaori insisted they sit together and even asked if she'd like to pick that day's recipe (since evidently two first-years had been bickering over it for three meetings in a row).

"Um, is a cake of some sort too complicated?" Hisako asked.

"We might be a little bored during the baking time, but we've done cakes before. What kind?" Kaori asked in return.

"A regular cake? Whatever's easiest."

"Yo, Takkun, do we have enough eggs to make cakes today?" the club president shouted.

The ace first-year in the hat and glasses practically teleported over. Takeshi gave Hisako his most charming smile and she felt butterflies in her stomach despite herself. "We do if we partner up. Be mine?" he asked.

"I guess our newbie has decided it! We'll make curry on Wednesday, and then freekeh next Saturday. No more arguments," Kaori announced and left them to the table.

"What's freekeh," Hisako whispered. She barely knew the different types of curry.

"Green wheat that's roasted."

"That seems very… specific. For something that hadn't been decided yet."

"We change our minds all the time on what we're making. We keep quite a lot of things in our store room, and there's this really great market just down the street and around the corner. Next time we go on a food run, I'll take you," Takeshi said. "So, what kind of cake do you want to make?"

"Don't we decide as a club?"

"Each pair can make their own, experiment with the recipe, change things up."

"I'd really rather just learn the basic recipe, first."

"Can we at least make it chocolate?" he pouted.

"I suppose."

Kaori pulled up a recipe from a book and wrote down the basic instructions and ingredient list on the whiteboard. Takeshi had already raided the store room for an armful of boxes and bags. Hisako flitted between following the president's pace and trying to keep up with her partner, but eventually, she had to settle on Takeshi, especially when he began adding extra ingredients.

And she shouldn't have been surprised when he handled most of it himself. He worked impressively, with a flair that only came with great confidence in his skills, but she felt a little useless. Halfway into mixing the batter, he seemed to notice her hovering at his side.

"Is there, um, anything I can do?" she asked in a small voice.

"Oh. Hmm." He cast about for something, which didn't exactly make her feel any better. "I can get the pan greased and ready, so can you finish folding the whipped cream into the batter?"

She almost wished she was merely taking notes again. Takeshi pattered back off to the store room, leaving her alone with a large bowl (that she wanted to eat raw, judging by how heavenly it smelled) and no knowledge of what folding meant in cooking. It looked as if he had just been mixing it before, so she carefully stirred while she waited for him to return.

As soon as he did, she shoved the bowl back at him. "I have no idea what folding is. I-I'm not good at cooking or baking and a lot of the terminology is lost on me."

"You're cute when you're confused, you know."

"I'd really rather learn some cooking skills instead of listening to you try too hard," she grumbled. First-years trying too hard to seem cool wasn't a new concept to her, but she had forgotten how pinpoint his attention could be.

Takeshi laughed and took it in stride. "Folding is a way of mixing, I guess. You scrape from the bottom and then up over the top, like this, see? It's for more delicate ingredients or mixes, usually in baking. And dear Hisako-chan," the nickname sent a shiver up her spine, "I could never try hard enough for you."

"Senpai. I'm your senpai." She imagined Atticus and Octavia with half of Takeshi's confidence in flirting. It was a terrifying idea.

"Well then, senpai, want to try the batter before we put it in the oven?"

She had been eyeing it for awhile. "If you insist."

Takeshi dipped his finger in it and offered it to her. She rolled her eyes and snatched the spatula from him instead, intending to sulk on her own side of the table with it.

But she had underestimated his skills. "Oh gosh, this is _delicious_!" Why hadn't she ever tried cake batter before?!

As Takeshi preened, Kaori called over, "Don't eat too much of the batter! That's for all of you—I _see_ you over there, Miyake-kun!"

There were several clatters as guilty parties got rid of spoons and spatulas. With a grin, Takeshi took the spatula back from her. "I'd still like this recipe," she mumbled, hoping her cheeks weren't too pink. "Could you write it down for me?"

"Anything for you. But only if you tell me why you wanted to bake a cake, of all things. You struck me more as a cheesecake sort of girl."

"I want to add a lot of things to the very short list of what I can currently make. But I'm thinking I might make an apology cake and—"

"Don't worry, I forgive you," Takeshi said smoothly and handed her the spatula again, since he was done pouring the batter into the pan (and the president wasn't looking in their direction).

"For what?" Hisako asked, wary, but she took the gift all the same.

"For missing club meetings. I missed you, but you probably had a lot going on, huh?"

"...Yeah. But you don't have to butter me up so much, you do know, right?"

"Who says I'm buttering you up?" he asked with a sly smile.

"You get enough attention without me here from what I've seen. I'm sure you could survive without Hisako Fujihara in the Cooking Club."

He surprised her by dropping the flirty pretense. "I really did miss you. It's nice having a newbie in the club, especially one so easily impressed."

"You… missed me," she repeated, struggling to find his angle. As much as she liked Takeshi, she couldn't shake the disingenuous feeling she got from him. While he sounded serious, something remained off. "You hardly know me."

"I know you like being a second-year. And I know you want to improve your cooking. And you have awesome taste in club partners. What's not to like?" When she opened her mouth to protest, he leaned across the table and put a finger to her lips. Takeshi lowered his voice and told her, "I like you, senpai. I can't explain it any better than that. Most girls would count that as a confession."

He covered his move by swiping a bit of chocolate batter off her mouth, and then licked his finger with a wink. She was embarrassed, face hot again, but there was still something that rang hollow. It mitigated her mortification enough for her to choke out, "Y-You're lying."

"Yeah, I am," Takeshi answered and for the first time that meeting, he sounded genuinely happy.

The flash of light startled her so bad she fell off her stool. " _Thou hast established a genuine bond…_ " The words were clearer that time. She'd heard it enough times to piece together most of it, but it had been steadily growing louder, too.

"I'm sorry!" Takeshi exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Kaori asked. A couple other members chattered in alarm but Hisako waved them off. The only thing bruised was her pride. She became friends with someone because they _didn't_ like her?

"Do you need me to kiss it and make it better?" Takeshi tried, leaning in close.

She nudged him back out of her personal space with a wry grin. "I think you've done enough, Mr. Hermit."

-.-.-

Sunday, June 22nd, 2014

…

Baking a cake on her own was infinitely harder than watching Takeshi do it. He had outlined a very detailed recipe for her, adding in specific notes and even a little drawing of the final product, but she had a bad feeling about hers.

Her father was out with coworkers for the afternoon, which conveniently left her alone with her shame. Did she taste the finished cake to make sure it was alright? Was that rude? She couldn't give Octavia a cake with a bite missing, but what if it tasted horrible and upset her further?

It smelled okay. Definitely chocolate-y and cake-y. And the batter had been alright, if a little less sweet than Takeshi's had been. She had enough ingredients to make another, but she was worried about the time. She wasn't sure she had enough to make another cake _and_ give it to Octavia. And probably Atticus. He had been on her side since then.

"This is a dumb idea," she groaned to the cake. It didn't respond.

She ended up frosting it—store-bought, the cake was enough experimentation for one day—and forcing herself to go through with it. She set it, plates, and silverware on the table, changed into a nicer dress, and moved her bedroom's mirror to the living room. The Velvet Room's ornate door looked absurd, but to be fair, it would look strange anywhere in their apartment, and that was the only place with enough blank space.

Hisako pushed the door open and peeked her head inside. Atticus looked up with his usual puppyish enthusiasm. Octavia politely inclined her head. "S-So, um… I'd like to apologize, again, and thank you both for being nice with my friends the other day. I'll try to stop bringing people into the Velvet Room."

"There are no technical rules against that," Octavia replied. "The guest is allowed to steer their journey as they see fit."

"Er, right. Well, it still feels a little strange, and we'd like to keep this secret. As much as possible at this point. But I, um, have an apology cake, and I-I was wondering if you two would like to share it with me?"

The pale-haired woman turned back to the blue book she was writing in. Atticus sighed and pushed himself out of the seat opposite her. "Dear Hisa-chan, nothing would please me more. But I'm afraid my sister had her heart set on the city date you promised us."

"Hey!" Octavia said, clearly scandalized.

"We can still do that another day!" Hisako said hastily. "I'd really love it if you two could go to that pet store with me to see this parrot—"

"I do not require your cake and I will be your friend once prior promises are fulfilled!" Octavia burst out. She gathered up the book and hurried into another train car.

"Ah. I am terribly sorry about that, dear Hisa-chan," Atticus said after a pause in which it was clear his sister was not returning. "In order to soothe her, I had discussed seeing your promise as a sort of quest to fulfill…"

She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "Thank you for your help, at any rate. We can go out into the city later this week, I'm free after Thursday… Do you want to share the cake with me? I can't eat an entire one by myself and I have to get rid of it by the time my father gets home."

"I would love to!" he exclaimed and pounced upon her, nuzzling her cheek. She felt a little unbalanced without Octavia on her other side.

"Off, off! Still want personal space!"

He was persuaded to take her hand instead, even if it felt awkward to simply walk the five feet back into her apartment with him. She gestured to the table and sighed at the third plate and fork. "May I ask why you can't share this with your father? Are apology cakes restricted to non-family members?" Atticus asked as Hisako pulled out a seat for him.

"No, you can make them for anyone—and that's not an actual type of cake. It's not a flavor or brand or anything. My dad's birthday is on Wednesday, and I'm practicing baking in secret."

"Right, humans celebrate those!"

She gave him an incredulous look over her shoulder from where she was putting away the extra plate. "You can't forget that after you bought me a crepe on mine."

"I didn't forget birthdays exist," he backtracked, worrying the napkin in front of him, eyes everywhere but on her. He wasn't a terribly good liar for a… whatever he was. She wasn't certain she knew any decent liars, come to think of it.

"Then what?" Hisako pressed. She hovered over the cake with the knife, making it clear she was holding it hostage.

"It is embarrassing to admit for someone of my station."

She gestured to the small kitchen and dining room. "You're not in the Velvet Room right now, you're a guest in my home. And—"

"This is _your_ home?" Atticus said, eyes wide, and he began looking over everything with fresh enthusiasm.

"You're obtuse about strange things," Hisako said, giving up. "I can't figure you—or your sister—out. All the magic aside, half the time you act all-knowing, and the other half, you act like an excited tourist."

"I will admit to both of those," he replied cheerfully.

"I don't know why you'd assume I'd serve you cake anywhere else, I don't understand your embarrassment about birthdays, and I'm still suspicious of how much you know of human culture."

"You have never made a door in _your_ residence before, I made an error, and I don't know how to quantify that answer."

She sighed. As precise as ever. "Just eat the cake." He happily dug into his piece, as messily cut as it was. Hisako hovered over her own piece, caught between watching him eat and dread at what she'd discover about its taste. If she didn't try it, then she could pretend to herself it was still delicious. He had no reserves eating it, so that had to be a good sign, right? "How… Um, h-how is it…?"

"A second piece, please, dear Hisa-chan!" Atticus announced, holding up an empty plate.

Gratified and proud of herself, she gave him another. "S-So it's good, right?"

"It's mediocre at best!" he replied in that same perfectly pleased tone he'd used before.

"Oh, and you've tried a lot of cakes?!" she snapped back, peeved at his smile at eating her supposedly mediocre cake.

"Yes."

She slumped into her seat, defeated. "Sorry. I'm still practicing and I guess I messed up somewhere," she mumbled. She wasn't even embarrassed. Just annoyed at herself.

"It is still the most wonderful cake I have ever tasted," Atticus told her solemnly. He set his (empty) plate down. "And I would like another piece."

"You don't have to indulge me," she muttered as she pushed around her own piece. She was a little afraid of trying it now. What did a mediocre cake taste like?

"I was being perfectly sincere."

"How can you say that right on the heels of 'mediocre'?" Hisako asked, eyes narrowed.

"Because you made it for me," he replied.

"That's something a parent would say to a child with a crayon drawing."

"I would not object if you made one of those for me as well. I wouldn't object to anything you create or do."

"I'll give you another slice of cake if you tell me why you were embarrassed about birthdays," she told him.

Atticus pressed his mouth into a thin line and appeared to weigh his options. Hisako stayed silent and let him sweat it out. After a long silence, he said, "I… had forgotten you were human."

She gaped at him and struggled to process that.

"Not that you don't appear human! You are very human in appearance and manner. It is simply that you are so special, dear Hisa-chan," he added imploringly, leaning over the table. His tie dropped into the frosting, but he didn't seem to notice. His sharp, gold gaze was only for her.

Hisako had to avert her own eyes. "I'm really not. I don't even have that Wild Card thing that I should have."

"While an enigma, that does not discount your inherent value. In general, or to me and my sister."

Neither of them flinched at the burst of light or the tarot card that came spinning down between them. She felt as if she cheated on that one. Octavia wasn't there, and Atticus was idealizing her situation. Their situation. "...Your tie has frosting on it," Hisako murmured and reached over the card on the table to pick his tie out of the cake.

Atticus sunk back into his seat, either guilty or sulky. When he put the tip of his tie in his mouth and sucked, she decided it was sulky.

"I appreciate the importance you place on me and my circumstances, but the Velvet Room is supposed to operate for owners of the Wild Card. I don't have it. Aside from using it as proof of supernatural things, I don't really have a use for it yet."

"We serve other uses for you," he mumbled and inspected the edge of the tie. It was clean, aside from a damp spot, but he still fiddled with it.

"And I'm grateful," Hisako said carefully, "but you can't pretend I'm something I'm not. Please. I'm human, and not much more than that."

"You'll always be special to me," Atticus told her, locking eyes with her again.

She grinned, for his sake. "At least you're not lying to me."

-.-.-

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

…

"Did you come _back_ to school to give me more cake?" Yuri asked incredulously. She had already given him and several other classmates (anyone who would take a piece, in fact) cake at lunch, and yet there Hisako was, a stack of boxes on the desk in front of her. Again.

"Has Shunya-senpai been back to Art Club yet?" she asked, searching the room as if he'd appear out of a cupboard. She paused to smile sunnily at another club member who asked to have a piece. It was her fourth cake, and if she said so herself, there was a marked improvement. And dropping off treats was a good excuse as any to see how their poor upperclassman was doing.

"I saw him in the hallway earlier, but we'll see if he appears—"

On cue, the auburn-haired boy slid open the door. Hisako and Yuri's eyes pinned him to the spot. Shunya slowly paled, trying bravely to keep a smile in place, but as a couple other club members cheered about cake, he had no choice but to enter. Yuri grabbed Hisako to make sure she didn't ambush him.

"We have to go with our plan, remember?" he told her in a low voice.

"I can't even offer him cake?" She really, really wanted to get rid of it.

"Just sit down." Yuri yanked her onto the stool beside him and pointed with a paintbrush at an empty easel.

Their plan was to pull a Shunya: sit innocently nearby, making him uncomfortably aware of their presence, and let him explode on his own. It had worked on Atticus. It certainly worked on Yuri and Suzuka. Hisako only hoped it'd work on him, too.

"Can I have another piece?" a pigtailed girl asked.

Hisako liked her. "Of course. The club is free to have all I brought. Y-You can give the president a piece, too, if he'd like one."

Yuri glared at her, but in her defense, it wasn't direct contact. It was a guarantee of one less piece to eat herself and reminding him of their presence. A strategic move. He tried to teach her how to paint with watercolor while they waited for Shunya to circle and check on the club members. She ended up with faintly colored water on her skirt and legs and very little on the canvas. Forgetting her socks turned into a good thing.

Shunya's poker face wavered more and more the closer he got to their section of the classroom. Yuri was nearly vibrating in his seat, too, but she figured his indignation at getting ditched outweighed his nervousness. Or perhaps he was worried.

He finally made it to their easels. Hisako beamed up at him in front of a washed-out blue smear. Yuri glowered at him over a half-painted portrait of Octavia. Shunya didn't speak, but he didn't move away from them. It prompted her to ask, "What do you think, senpai? I think it looks very good, considering he did it from memory."

"You're in remarkably good moods," he said quietly.

"Liked the sketch better, but if you had been here on Thursday, you would've seen it," Yuri growled. Hisako placed a hand on his wrist to calm him. He snorted, ducked out from her touch, and returned to his canvas. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine enough."

"Are you angry with us? Afraid of us?" Yuri asked with the sort of speed that meant he'd been fretting about that for some time. Hisako paused in a brush stroke, searching Shunya's face for anything that confirmed those fears. She hadn't thought about him being _afraid_ of them, but angry had crossed her mind.

"What? No, no." Shunya pulled over a free chair and sat between them. He put his fingers in a steeple and stared hard at the blue watercolors on Hisako's paper. "That's the wrong weight to use for watercolor. Yuri-kun, that's rude, to teach her the wrong thing."

"I just set her there to keep her from forcing more cake down my throat."

"This one wasn't that bad," she said in defense of her poor baking skills.

"And don't change the subject, senpai," Yuri added, not agreeing or disagreeing with her statement.

Shunya reached out and crinkled the edge of Hisako's painting. "Normally, you use a thicker paper, so it absorbs more of the water. It's not supposed to look this runny—and it's not supposed to drip off onto your legs."

"I figured that part out."

"Are you going to join the club? To continue to haunt me?"

"Hm, no. I don't think I could balance two clubs and our secret double life," she told him and he drew back with a slight frown. "If it gives you peace of mind, you can just pretend that you never learned any of that. It's not as if we're asking you to join us."

"I'm not really cut out for adventures," Shunya said quietly and forced a smile to replace his frown.

"We're not trying to force you into anything."

"We're just trying to make sure you're okay and you're not going to freak out on us," Yuri told him. He folded his arms and squinted in judgment at his painting. "Why does she wear so much cobalt if she's so pale? This is getting annoying. And her _eyes_ —this is looking more and more unappealing. She's not even that pretty normally."

Hisako smacked him, hard. "Don't be a jerk about my friend!"

"What? Look, this is turning out to be a creepy white figure in too much blue—"

"How long has this been going on?" Shunya interrupted. They returned their attention to him, although she hit Yuri again with the opening. "It's this year, isn't it?"

"I'm a transfer," Hisako replied. "But it started not too long after I got here…"

"The eleventh of April," Yuri said.

"That long…" the upperclassman murmured, sounding sad. "I think I remember you being sick, but aside from spats with Mika-san, I had no idea…"

"Yeah, well, we've had some time to adjust," Yuri said awkwardly. He sighed at his painting and moved to smear his paintbrush over Octavia's face. Hisako quickly grabbed his wrist to prevent that.

"Don't ruin it!"

"I don't really want to finish this. It's not that pretty."

"But don't ruin it! I-I'll buy it from you!"

He gave her a haughty look she didn't feel she deserved. "You don't know how much that would be."

"Yuri-kun, stop teasing Hisako-san," Shunya interrupted again with his own sigh.

"I'm not teasing her!" Yuri snapped with a red face. She quickly stole his paintbrush while he was distracted and dunked it in her water cup.

"I'm glad to see you two have adjusted to your new lifestyle, and I'm very glad to see that Yuri-kun has other friends to share this with. I guess that's one of the few things that's stopping me from, uh, freaking out? Is that what you were worried about?"

"You did already. A little."

"I was shocked, can you blame me? But what else can I do now? It's a thing, a real thing, and you're involved. If anything, I'm afraid for you. I hope you're ready for an even more worrisome senpai," he said happily.

"So no more skipping practice?" Yuri asked, clearly torn between hopeful and suspicious.

"I won't avoid you, either—any—of you." He paused, as if counting them for the first time. "Where is the third one? The short red-haired girl?"

"She was our plan B for you," Hisako answered with a grin.

-.-.-

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014

…

"I won't accept another piece of cake from you," Mathias said seriously. Hisako blanched. She had worked up her courage the day before and he'd gladly accepted it, and she had managed to ask him again today—and the fourth cake was the best yet!

"I'll take it," Suzuka volunteered, literally poking her head into their conversation.

Mathias's cheeks reddened and he hastily explained, "I won't accept another cake unless you let me repay your kindness and take you out on a date."

_Oh thank goodness, he'll take the cake_ , was her first thought. Then, the rest of his statement caught up with her. She could slowly feel her face heat up as Suzuka cracked up beside them.

"Smooth! Give the girl a heart attack to soften her up, right?"

"I didn't think you would arrive and try to take my piece," Mathias sulkily replied and took the offered box before the redhead could steal it. Avoiding eye contact, he opened it and began eating, his lunch forgotten on the side of his desk.

"Certain parties haven't agreed to this deal yet," Suzuka said and poked Hisako in the side. Mathias shyly—cutely, but definitely _shyly_ —peeked up at her through his bangs with those pretty blue eyes. "...I think you broke her."

"I," Hisako eloquently said.

"I-I did not mean to sound so firm!" he backpedaled, blushing again.

"A d-date, with—just us?" she squeaked, hitting notes she hadn't thought possible. She was certain she was as red as a tomato by then.

"And here we have the birth of an idiot couple. I should have seen this coming, but I guess I had more hope for you, Matt-chan," Suzuka deadpanned. She laid dramatically across the desk in front of her and put a hand to her forehead. "And Haruka said you were so cool and composed!"

" _Pis, a a menti_ ," he whispered from behind his cake. "I didn't mean for this to go this way. I-I will just eat this. Thank you, Hisako-san."

Suzuka pulled Hisako down (before she could implode on the spot) and whispered, "We weren't gonna do Irkalla today anyway! Just go out with him!"

"B-But…"

"Don't you dare say you want to go home and make another cake."

"I won't say that then."

Suzuka sighed and told her, "This is for your own good. Please, remember our friendship fondly in your later years." That was ominous, but she didn't have the chance to question it. Suzuka turned back to Mathias and said, "Ask Hirose and, uh, some other guy, and we'll grab another girl, and we'll make it a mixer!"

Mathias' eyes slid over to Hisako for a moment before he looked down, thinking. "Okay. I have never been to a mixer, so this will be fun, too."

Suzuka grinned and wrapped an arm around Hisako's waist. The blonde, for her part, was puzzled; she didn't particularly feel the urge to strangle her friend like she'd implied. Suzuka steered her back over to their desks in the front, took another piece of cake for herself as a trophy, and looked expectantly up at her. "I don't get why I'm supposed to be mad," Hisako said.

"I'm hoping you figure out the pros before the cons. Less pressure on you, less pressure on him, and you probably won't be put on the spot."

"Those are very good pros. I'm waiting for the drawback here."

Suzuka poked at her cake, lips pursed, and took a bit before she mumbled out, "First, we're going to have to find another girl who's interested. I'm sort of lower on female friends than what I'm used to lately. Wait—think we can ask the boys to invite Shunya-senpai along?"

"We aren't going with plan B."

She blew a raspberry, making Hisako jump. "I'll see if Shimizu or Goto from the team want to come. Unless you've made friends with anyone in the Cooking Club?"

Hisako groaned and admitted, "I know a boy. I'm quite sure he'd jump in very happily."

"So what's wrong with that? We'll see if Matt-chan or Hirose know any girls, then."

"He's… sort of an attention hog. I'm worried the girl side won't be able to resist him."

"Weeeeeell," Suzuka said with a nervous laugh. Or was it guilty? Hisako narrowed her eyes. "My loyalty only goes so far, and I need to make sure you have an incentive to be an active participant instead of clamming up and looking cute."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Suzuka put her hands over her chest. Hisako stared, uncomprehending, until it clicked. Suzuka started laughing at the face she made. "We can get dressed up together, but I'm only human! I'm gonna make you work for his attention—not that it'll be hard."

"Th-That's cheating, still!" Hisako replied, distressed and embarrassed. She hunched over in her desk, arms crossed over her poor, flat chest.

"It's an incentive!"

"It's cheating!"

"And it's not even my final form!" At Hisako's stricken expression, Suzuka burst into new peals of laughter. "Okay, okay, that one was a joke! Maybe I'll only get the girls out and—"

"We're dropping this conversation! Except to think about another girl!"

"Go find your other boy and ask him, and I'll go tell Matt-chan that we're swapping."

"I don't know what class he's in," Hisako muttered petulantly, but Suzuka shooed her off. She still had time during the lunch break, but Suzuka's plan had disheartened her. Between Takeshi and Suzuka, she was going to fade into the wallpaper. But maybe that would be a good thing?

She didn't find him in any of the first-year classrooms, and she didn't spot him from the window in the courtyard, so her last guesses were the roof or the Cooking Club room. Mercifully, he was in the latter, so she didn't have to waste her entire lunch period.

The door was open, so Takeshi didn't hear her as she entered. He was talking to a girl, both of them lounging across several chairs, an impressive spread of food on the table between them. _She's not in the club_ , Hisako noted as she entered, _but she's pretty_. Did he always flirt with girls? She wasn't sure why she had thought it was contained within the club.

The girl looked up as she neared, expression half-hidden by her straight-cut bangs. Takeshi twisted in his seat and immediately brightened at seeing her. "Senpai! Had to seek me out even during school hours? Or are you here to mooch more food?"

The girl, bizarrely, gave the back of Takeshi's head an incredulous look at how he responded to Hisako. _Jealous?_ "Uh, no. Actually, I've been bringing most of my class cakes I've been making."

"Practicing at home?"

"A little." Hisako and the other girl exchanged a cool look. Everything about the girl looked soft—she had a round face and plump lips, only accented by her long, thick hair that was a soft grey, almost lavender—but her neutral expression was borderline intimidating.

"Ume, be nice, this is Hisako Fujihara, a member of the Cooking Club. Senpai, this is my best friend, Ume Tokunaga. So, what'd you want?" Takeshi asked.

Direct as always. She tore her eyes away from the impromptu staring contest, unable to place why she got into it in the first place. "Um, actually, we're a boy short for a mixer. Interested?" _Wait, is it dumb to ask a first-year?_ She had only been to exactly one before, so maybe she should have let Suzuka take the reins.

"Need any girls?" Takeshi asked.

She briefly hesitated. "Yes."

"What do you say, Ume?"

"Not interested," she muttered.

Takeshi gave her a long look, half-turned from Hisako so she couldn't quite see his expression. Did best friends always stare at each other, or did they have minor telepathy? She would have sworn Suzuka and Haruka had at times. He turned back to Hisako with a grin that was only half as forced as usual. Interesting. "Have a date planned yet? Are the other girls as cute as you?"

_Oh, he and Suzuka-chan are going to be terrifying together_ , she thought and had to smile at the image. "I think so. Going to lie about liking more girls?"

Takeshi instantly blushed and Ume snorted into the drink she'd been sipping. She broke into the first smile Hisako had seen from her, wide and a little sharp. "You're _lying_ about liking girls?" she asked with laughter in her voice.

He pulled his hat down over his face to hide himself. "Hisako-senpai, why'd you have to say that? I thought upperclassmen were supposed to be cool!"

"I-I'm cool!"

He whined wordlessly as he shrank down underneath the table, Ume shaking with laughter above him. Hisako couldn't help but redden herself, confused and a little flustered at his response, but also amused. Takeshi flapped a hand over his chair and said, "I'm in if you don't embarrass me again! Just tell me the details whenever, I'll give you my number later when I can look you girls in the eye again!"

As Hisako left and Takeshi slunk back into his seat, she saw Ume lean in, intimately close, and whisper something.

_There's no way I was that weird when I was a first-year_ , she decided.

By the time she got back to their classroom, Yuri had returned, too, scowling at the cake left on his desk. Hisako breezed past him with a brave face. "Suzuka-chan, am I a cool senpai?"

"If you have to ask—did you invite a first-year to the mixer?"

"It was him or Yuri-kun, and I decided to spare us all that."

"Thank you," he gratefully chimed in.

"I don't think we could get another girl if he was on the roster," Suzuka said thoughtfully, earning a glare. "But any chance you know any girls, Kikuchi?"

"Just ask a classmate."

"Yeah, but it's more fun with friends!"

"I wouldn't know," Yuri mumbled.

"Don't say that! You'll make me want to force you to come along to take your mixer virginity."

"Like to see you try."

"Let's just think about another girl!" Hisako broke back in. "And stop pushing that cake around."

He sulked harder and, if anything, was rougher with the cake he was batting around his desk. "You're gonna give me a cavity."

She turned in her seat to face him fully. She wasn't sure if she was trying to stare him down or establish some sort of psychic, cake-themed bond, but he was cowed almost at once. "I don't think it counts if you have to bully the boys into accepting," Suzuka remarked. "Though I can't wait until Valentine's Day if that's your technique."

On reflex, she turned to peek at Mathias. It had nearly killed her yesterday to give him the first piece of cake, but she was up to two, and she was on her way to a group date with him. Surely, by then… And Christmas was before then...

"Don't give her any more daydream ideas," Yuri sighed.

"You should have seen them earlier. You should come along just to see them then."

"No thank you."

The bell rang for afternoon classes. Mr. Tsukino shuffled in, prompting Suzuka to remember only _then_ that she had a worksheet to finish, and Yuri dumped his cake box unceremoniously into his bag. Hisako pouted at him until the teacher rapped on the whiteboard for attention.

After classes—most of which she spent alternating between notes and hoping Yuri's cake wouldn't be too squished—Hisako was surprised to be cornered near the shoe lockers. By Mathias, which always brought excitement and dread. "Can I walk you home?" he asked with a fidget.

Yuri made a gagging face behind him. Hisako threw her slipper at him and smiled at Mathias. "Um, sure, but I wouldn't want it to be out of your way…"

"Haruka told me you don't live far from Suzuka-san, and Haruka doesn't live far from her," he explained, face already lit up at her positive answer. Her heart did a funny little flutter at his earnest smile.

Yuri set her slipper on her head as he passed to leave. She tried not to drop her smile. Mathias tracked Yuri's movements behind her, expression impossible to read, and Hisako quickly slipped on her shoes. "Ignore him, he's just grumpy because I'm foisting twice as much cake on him than you or Suzuka-chan."

His expression brightened again when he returned his attention to her. "I believe I missed the memo for all of the cake. I know it's not a holiday because Haruka was just as confused as I am. Was. Er, thank you, again, f-for the cake."

Inwardly, she squealed at the pinkness on his cheeks. "Tomorrow is my papa's birthday, and I was hoping to bake for him myself." As they walked, Hisako found herself wishing she could walk all the way home instead of taking a bus, even as her stomach flopped over with nerves at his proximity.

He said something fast in English and coughed to hide his slip. "I meant to say, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I think I was too forward at lunch?" Mathias scratched at the back of his head. "I think the Japanese are not as—they are more— _how the hell do you say conservative_?" He groaned at the sky, took a breath, and tried again. "You may have been unsure of my wishes. I think group dates are more common here, but I am used to many single dates."

"Um, I think so." Not that she had much experience either way.

"B-But I am still looking forward to that!" he quickly added. She nodded and hid her smile with her hand. Her heart was definitely all a-flutter and she would probably have to scream into her pillow at this rate. " _Viarge du Criss, I am so tired of this_. Japanese is difficult."

"It's been getting a lot better this past month, I can tell. Do you often switch languages mid-sentence?"

"Yes," he replied with a lopsided smile. "I miss English and French, to be honest. Haruka has me on Japanese-only music, and I have watched so much anime. So much. I can't be tempted to switch languages since I still need to learn so much more. It has been very difficult."

"You could watch dramas or the news instead," she suggested.

"Haruka only suggests anime and sad movies. Do you have any you like?" he asked, perking up.

Hisako looked away when she admitted, "I mainly watch toku shows and cheesy romantic things."

"Anything to keep me from remembering I can't watch _Sherlock_ until it's dubbed!"

"I'm sure you could watch shows you like."

"I am worried Haruka will enlist help if she suspects me of going back to anything western," Mathias whispered with a shudder. "But the other side is that she is stuck with all of the English. She tells me she misses Kyary and Kanamin. I told her she can have her music when I get BBC rights back. It is more fun to be on that side."

Hisako tried to imagine Haruka into anime, idols, and girl groups. It actually made a little bit of sense, considering her magical girl jokes. "Are you homesick a lot? Or is it mostly the language you're having issues with?"

"I-I'm not having issues, am I?" he asked, alarmed.

"No! Your Japanese is very good!"

"I'm sure your English is still good."

"I'm not falling for that," she said flatly, and he shrugged and chuckled in defeat.

"The language is a headache, but I am homesick for other things. The buildings are very different here," he said, gesturing to the tall building behind them, as they waited for the bus, "and the food is very, very, _very_ different."

"What is the food in Canada like?" she asked curiously.

"Hm, heavier. Laugh if you like, but I really miss _poutine_ and syrup. Actual syrup, not what Haruka's parents got me." He stuck out his tongue. "And Tim's. _I would drop kick a puppy for coffee from Tim's._ "

"I'm not sure I wanted to know what that sentence was. Who is Tim?"

"It's a fast food chain. Like Wild-Duck Burger or Starbucks." They both jolted at a harder stop from the bus, and she bumped into his chest. She drew back at once, her face feeling warm, but he just smiled that adorable smile of his and her heart melted a little more. "Is it a date if I offer to take you to one if you are ever in Canada?"

"U-Um," she replied, pleased but tongue-tied, and tried to imagine herself in a foreign country. "You would have to be my translator." Her stop arrived, and to her surprise, he departed, too. He insisted he'd just walk from there, though she was a little nervous about letting him.

She thought, for the tiniest moment, of inviting him home with her. She could offer to let him borrow a DVD or something, or even try to bribe him with more cake, but most of those thoughts sounded like Atticus in her head. In her opinion, it took far too long for the responsible Octavia voice to pipe up and tell her how inappropriate that would be.

The silence stretched between them a beat too long. His clear blue eyes searched hers, and she found she couldn't hold his gaze for long. "Do I make you nervous?" he asked, quiet but gentle.

She was about to respond when she was betrayed by the sudden light of a social link—and she jerked back, of course. Mathias started in surprise, too, but he managed to hide his hurt expression with a fast smile. "No!" Hisako blurted out. "I-I mean, sometimes you do, but a lot of things do—I'm just—I didn't mean to…"

"I am not very good at this either, and if it's any comfort, you're easy to get nervous around, too. And with that, I will leave!" Mathias saluted and marched away, pace stiff but fast.

Hisako managed to wait until she was in her own room to bang her head against the wall. Traitorous Lovers card.

-.-.-

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

…

"What, no escort home today?" Yuri drawled by the shoe lockers. Hisako looked up from her phone—Saturday after school would be the mixer, just great—and frowned at him.

"You don't usually take interest in what I do with Mathias-san. You usually avoid it."

"In my head, I'm calling this 'making sure you don't overwork yourself', rather than showing an interest in your love life."

"Yes, because walking home with a boy is _such_ a workout."

"Maybe it isn't if you don't look like you're about to hyperventilate every time you talk to him for more than five minutes." He shrugged. She started to reply, indignant, but he added, "Between Shunya-senpai, your cake binge, and whatever the weird Velvet people did to get you upset, you've sort of got a full plate. Add in boy troubles and I'm worried you'll pop."

"I'm working on Octavia," she muttered, eyeing other students as they passed. No one seemed to care. "My baking spree ends today, I thought we handled Shunya-senpai, and it's not boy _troubles_. It's just—a group date. And a lot of me embarrassing myself."

"You can't break my record with the girls, so don't worry."

"Not that I'm not grateful for your concern, but I'm still puzzled by it."

Yuri let out a long, aggrieved sigh. "Do you know _how much_ Poirier stares at the back of your head in class? It's a little distracting, even to me."

"Why are you looking back at him?" Hisako asked, hands on her hips.

"It's, uh, sort of a habit," he admitted. It took her a second to figure it out; Mika's desk was in that direction for him. They both fidgeted, too uncomfortable to comment on the obvious. She certainly didn't know what to say to that.

"I won't lie and say I'm unhappy that he seems to be—"

"Acting like a puppy?"

"— _interested_. I was going to say interested," she huffed, face feeling warm, "but maybe the mixer will fix something. Or do something. I don't know. Have you ever been to one?"

"No, and no matter what you or Sakuraba say, I'm not changing that." He folded his arms, a little defensively, and hunched his shoulders. It looked a little silly on such a tall boy.

"Have you…" _No, bad idea, don't ask him_ , her inner Octavia broke in, saving her.

But Yuri prodded her shoulder with a sour look. "Don't leave me there."

"You're not going to like the question."

" _Definitely_ don't leave me there."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" she asked in a small voice.

"You're right, I shouldn't have asked," Yuri agreed, running a hand over his face. "Why do you keep asking me what all of these normal human relationships are like?"

"Because you are worldly and knowledgeable and won't go running to Mathias-san about this?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"I may be those things, but _you_ are the queen of forgetfulness. You're the only girl who's willing to talk to me, remember? Even Sakuraba doesn't talk to me without you around," he said and poked her again. She rubbed her shoulder, so he switched targets and poked her forehead. She jabbed him in the side in retaliation for that one.

"I have to go bake my last cake for a long time. I don't have to stand for your abuse," Hisako told him, nose in the air, mouth pursed to prevent a grin.

"Don't you _dare_ bring any leftovers tomorrow."

"Most boys would be happy to get home-baked goods from a girl!"

"Then give it to the other guys! Next piece I get I'm going to smear on a canvas," he called after her as she departed.

_He probably would_ , she realized, unsure if she should be amused or horrified. And then, _Why can't I talk that comfortably with Mathias-san?_

She bought the ingredients for her last chocolate cake on the way home, and tried to do the math for timing it with her father's arrival home. She ended up having to guess. Hisako was endlessly pleased that that cake turned out the best of all her attempts, even if it was slightly burnt on the bottom.

Her father walked in when she was still frosting it. She stared at him for a long moment—and he stared down at the cake on the countertop—before she demanded, "Close your eyes! Go to your room!"

"Grounded, on my birthday?" Koichi asked, the amusement in his voice letting it be known that he'd seen. Hisako grumpily frosted the rest of the cake. So much for the element of surprise.

When she let him come back out into the kitchen, the cake was finished and she let him 'ooh' and 'ahh' with pride. "We have to eat an actual meal first, but I made it myself."

"I thought this was my birthday dinner. Sure it isn't?" he asked and stuck his finger into the frosting. She swatted at him and retrieved the spatula to smooth over the hole. Koichi beamed at her around the finger in his mouth. "Thank you, Ma-chan. It's good so far."

"Dinner first."

They ended up ordering take-out (she couldn't begrudge him his choice of birthday dinners) and settled in on the couch. She was glad to see he was in a very happy mood, humming along to commercials, not having a single complaint about work, but she was worried. He had been coughing that morning.

And he still hadn't heard what she had given him for the day.

"Cake time!" Hisako announced proudly, a plate in each hand. Truthfully, she was a little sick of cake herself, too (not that she'd ever admit that to Yuri), but it was worth it for the look on her father's face.

"I had been wondering why the apartment had been smelling so sweet lately." And she had been lighting incense almost constantly to try to hide it. Subtlety was not her forte. "This is very good, thank you, Ma-chan. Did you learn how to bake this in your Cooking Club?"

"Ah, yes. It's the only thing I've managed to actually pick up so far."

"My compliments to the chef."

She preened under the attention. It wasn't often she got compliments on her cooking, Suzuka's gluttony aside. Hisako waited until he was finished, heart thrumming in her chest, before she broached the subject of his gift. "So, papa, about your present…"

"No bow on the cake?" Koichi joked.

"No, that wasn't it! I, um… You don't get a bow on it, either."

"Do I get to guess?"

"No, you wouldn't ever guess it." There was no way to handle it except bluntness and bracing herself. "I-I didn't know what else to do so I paid off next month's rent and you can do what you like with that."

The smile on her father's face slowly slipped, replaced by surprise—and concern.

Hisako quickly added, "I already did it, and the landlady was okay with it, so no take-backs, papa."

"How did you—did your mother help you?"

"What? No!" She hadn't even thought about asking her mother to help. Come to think of it, it would have been the perfect cover—plus the added bonus of mother and daughter teaming up for him—but she would have had to have _talked_ to her mother for that to have worked.

"How did you come up with all of that money?"

It hadn't quite been a third of her Irkalla money. "I, um, got a job. It's just a little thing, but you said I could pick one up now that we're settled…" She felt terrible, lying to her dad on his birthday, but it worked as a cover.

Koichi opened his mouth, then closed it without a word. He pulled Hisako into a hug and against her hair, murmured, "You didn't have to do that, and I don't want you doing it again. But thank you—I appreciate that, Hisako."

"You're welcome, papa." She didn't comment on doing it again. "Happy birthday. Now eat more cake."

He pulled away with a laugh and a slightly wobbly smile. "If it's alright with you, I'd actually like to save some of it for tomorrow. And you'd probably get after me if I ate too much of it tonight, wouldn't you?"

"...Maybe."

"Tomorrow, the rest of the cake. And maybe this weekend we can do something with this newfound pocket change of mine, hm?"

"That doesn't mean just spend it!"

"Maybe it'll be a special occasion! My wonderful daughter, all grown up and paying rent!"

"I'll pay more of it if you keep joking!"

-.-.-

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

…

Hisako had been nodding off in class when the classroom door slid open to reveal an aide with a message for her. "Fujihara, go to the faculty office. Please, wipe your drool before you leave," Mr. Akiyama said. She burned with embarrassment but waited until she was out in the hall before scrubbing at her face. It wasn't like she dozed all that often.

She didn't think to be alarmed until the vice principal was the one who greeted her at the office. "Er, miss Fujihara, we've just gotten a call about your father." The alarm caught up with her entirely and her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage. "I understand he has some sort of medical condition."

"What happened?" she choked out.

"It seems he collapsed at his office and is now in the hospital. You'll be excused for the rest of the day…" She didn't hear much after that.

She signed off on a form, stopped herself from running in the halls, and tried to calm herself. It had happened before, several times. They had moved to the city to be closer to better hospitals. One of her father's doctor friends was there and knew about his disease. He had been fine that morning— _but hadn't he been coughing yesterday_?

She ended up sprinting to the bus stop. Hisako wiped at her eyes during the ride, trying to figure out how she could get to the hospital, looking at train maps on her phone. It was almost a routine, her father collapsing suddenly and she rushing to make sure he was okay, but it panicked her each time. It only took one time for it to be the last.

_He'll be fine_ , she told herself as she boarded the train. It was mostly empty that early in the day, before the lunch rush, and she was thankful fewer people had to see her biting her finger to stop from crying in public.

Hisako was familiar with hospitals. She hated it. Seeing Dr. Arakida in the hall prevented her from panicking further, and he soothingly explained that it was nothing serious, nothing new. She could have sobbed with relief. "C-Can I go see him?" she asked during the first break in the explanation.

"Yes, you can—"

She didn't wait around for further permission and rushed to his room.

But there was someone already in there. Hisako pulled up short in the doorway, eyes wide, mouth slack. Renora Fujihara looked up from the chair, and hid her own surprise by tucking a lock of long, blonde hair behind her ear. "...Hisako," the woman said, voice calm and even and not at all tinny without the phone between them.

"Mother," she replied.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★★☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Affable

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Commiserative

"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond..."  
Hisako Fujihara has established the Connoisseur social link of the Hermit arcana!

Hisako Fujihara's Twins social link has ranked up! The Moon arcana has reached rank 3.

Hisako Fujihara's Linguist social link has ranked up! The Lovers arcana has reached rank 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -ume has anime hair color bc persona has silver/grey-haired peeps. most other characters will have "normal" hair colors but this won't be the last. ◟(◔ั₀◔ั )◞ ༘♡


	18. Holy Arrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which no one wants to be there and a mother and daughter both have doubts.

Her mother stood—still tall, still beautiful, still intimidating—and Hisako would have taken a step back on reflex, had Dr. Arakida not followed her into the room. Her father propped himself up on his elbows in the hospital bed; Hisako had thought he'd been asleep. He looked tired and pale, but he gave her the world's most sheepish smile.

"This is not how I—" Koichi began, but the woman set a hand on his, silencing him.

"I will leave you two alone with the doctor," Renora murmured. She left before anyone could argue. Hisako watched her, unable to process her feelings beyond simple shock.

"It's, erm, not serious, his condition," Dr. Arakida began awkwardly. "At least, it is nothing new. He's already been x-rayed, and his blood pressure is a little high, but we believe it was simply stress that worsened it. He'll be home tomorrow, Hisako-kun."

Relief fell atop the pile of other emotions inside her, blanketing them and giving her a reason to ignore them for the time being. "That's… that's so good to hear. Thank you."

"I'll leave you two alone, but a nurse will be in soon to do a couple more tests."

"Thank you, doctor," Koichi said. The other man nodded and excused them. Her father patted the chair—the one her mother vacated. "Ma-chan…"

"How long has she been here?" she asked, voice higher than she liked, still rooted to the spot. She fisted her hands in her uniform skirt to stop them from shaking.

"This morning. This was all a terrible coincidence, but remember, I mentioned doing something this weekend? Her visit was planned. We had wanted it to be a small surprise, not—this." He rubbed at his temples, but then his hands had to come down to cover a cough. Despite the doctor's words, Hisako couldn't quash the alarm she felt at the sound. Koichi smiled wryly from behind his hand at her expression. "Ma-chan, this is nothing new. My throat's just a little dry. I'm sorry you had to miss more school because of me."

She shook her head, although at his apology or at the stinging tears in her eyes, she wasn't certain. Hisako walked over and sat down in the chair while she tried to think of which issue to tackle first. "...What's your blood pressure at? Dr. Arakida said it was high."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I pull you away from medical school this morning?"

"I'll just ask the nurse."

"It is not your job to fret over me like this. Rather, how are you feeling? I didn't mean to give you either shock today."

"Worry about yourself! You're in a hospital, _again_ , and it's only been four months—"

"This is not severe, Ma-chan! Just a little accident—"

"Hospital!" she shrilly insisted.

Koichi winced but continued in his usual, even, father-tone, "I'm worried about _you_. I really wish you and your mother hadn't been reunited like this, under these circumstances—"

She burst into tears out of sheer stress at the situation. Or so she told herself. Her father gave a start, and moved to place his hand over hers, but she drew them away from him and covered her face out of shame. There was relief, so much relief, that he was okay and her mother was there, but there was guilt and anger and fear, too. She wasn't sure which was the worst, but they all mixed in her stomach in a potent cocktail of negativity.

"Hisako," her father said gently. She sniffled and refused to move her hands from her eyes, as if she could hold in further tears. "I am fine. I'll be home tomorrow, just like the doctor said, and then it'll be years and years until my next visit to a hospital."

"Don't lie to me, papa," she whispered.

"Okay, then it will be a long, long time." He waited, like he was unsure if he should continue, but ended up adding, "I'm sorry I can't promise you years and years."

-.-.-

Friday, June 27th, 2014

…

Hisako awoke to her phone going off. She growled at it until the noise stopped, then buried her head under her pillow for good measure. Several minutes passed before the annoyance turned into guilt and she checked it. Another message from Suzuka; that made three from her, two from Yuri, and one from Shunya.

The worrying part was that she didn't feel particularly bad about ignoring the messages. Yesterday, it had been easier, between visiting the hospital and trying to sort through her mother issues. (It had taken her half the night to acknowledge that term.) She had been worried that someone would suggest that her mother spend the night in the apartment with her, but that hadn't happened. Relieved didn't begin to cover her reaction.

Suzuka's message turned out to be a meek ' _ru coming to school tmmrw? ru coming to the date tmrw? (˃ᆺ˂)_ '. Her first two had been more alarmed, minus the emoji.

Hisako squinted at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost eleven. She groaned and rolled over, cocooning herself in her covers. She had to get to the hospital. She hadn't meant to sleep in so late, but she had been up until the wee hours of the morning, tossing and turning and agonizing about her mother. Surely she was going to stay with them with her father back. It would be weird, and domestic, and _normal_ , to have both parents at the same time.

But there was still the small shout of _betrayer!_ in her mind. Her father hadn't warned her. Their apartment held no memories of her mother. _Will she sleep in papa's room?_ she thought suddenly. She couldn't bear the thought of her own mother, her father's wife, sleeping on their lumpy couch. _What if they try to get romantic!_ Sex didn't even cross her mind; it would be the highlight of her year just to see them _kiss_.

She so, so desperately wanted her mother to be in her life again. Regularly, if not constantly. And she wanted, above even that desire, for her father to be happy. She wanted them to be together and loving again. Before everything had happened. Before she had happened. 

Hisako dragged herself out of bed. She really had to get to the hospital to pick up her father.

It was strange, throwing on casual clothes on a school day, and she was halfway done pulling on a plain t-shirt when she realized _her mother was there_.

Her mother was going to see her. Again. Her mother, the fashion guru, was going to see her out of uniform and probably for the rest of the day. She hoped (and feared) that she would come home with them. _Oh my god_ that _is why he wanted to save some of the cake!_ Hisako realized with growing horror. Her mother would see her, in her own clothes, and eat her cooking.

It took her three times as long as usual to get dressed.

Hisako felt jittery and hyperaware of everything as she sat on the bus to the hospital. A couple other passengers gave her looks—a well-dressed teenage girl, that time of day?—and she got another text from Yuri. At least he had waited until their lunch break. ' _Text someone back to let us know youre still alive or else_ '.

Since she still felt a little giddy about her mother, and since she was beginning to feel some shame about her disappearing act now that she was in the outside world again, she tapped out a response to him. ' _I'm fine, personal things, let me copy your notes?_ ' Suzuka's notes were usually messy and Mathias' would probably be in another language.

' _Maybe_ ' came the petulant reply.

Maybe she shouldn't apologize for worrying them. She'd be at school tomorrow, anyway, so it could wait until then. She knew she shouldn't be angry or bitter or whatever she was at her friends, but she felt a little raw with everything else that had happened.

Hisako also realized, uncomfortably, that she was unused to having so many friends worry about her when her family life reared its sometimes-ugly head.

Dr. Arakida was on shift again at the hospital. Hisako felt better about his presence now that she knew her father would be coming home. It wasn't as if she actually disliked the man—he was friendly and honest with her—but she associated him with hospital visits. Hospital visits never meant anything good for her family. She liked him even better, though, when he took her aside to whisper some extra instructions about watching her father's salt intake.

"He's in good shape otherwise, so we shouldn't see him unexpectedly for a long time," the doctor said, earning a smile from Hisako, but that dropped when he prodded her head. "You, on the other hand," Dr. Arakida said and she rubbed at her forehead.

"I'm fine!"

"Don't think I forgot that you were in the hospital in April. Your screening is coming up next month."

"I know that."

"And are you still taking your own pills regularly? I know I'm not Nakao, but I can worry, kid," he told her and crossed his arms. She nodded, lips pursed, and his own mouth twitched with a repressed smile. "And how is that going?"

"Fine, and I'm not skipping," Hisako muttered, mood soured again. She had wondered if Irkalla was throwing her off, somehow, but she had no way of broaching that subject with any doctors. She just had to cross her fingers.

"Your father was asking me about it. Like I would know. I'm only here for respiratory illnesses and your dad's worrying unplanned trips here."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Studying to become a nurse?" Dr. Arakida joked, but it fell flat between them. It was different when her father asked, but an actual doctor, like it didn't directly affect her or her future? The man before her sighed, pushed his glasses up onto his hair, and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Just get your dad to cut back on salt, cholesterol, and exercises for awhile. And I don't _care_ if Renora's back in the picture. You take care, too, Hisako-kun."

The doctor bade her farewell and it took the time for him to reach the end of the hallway for her to process that he was referring to sex. Between her father and mother.

Maybe he was a little too honest with her sometimes.

Hisako stayed out of her father's room, covering her red cheeks, willing the heat to go away. Okay, so she was seventeen and accustomed to going into responsible mode ( _motherly mode?_ her inner Octavia wondered, traitorously) whenever her father ended up in the hospital, but she didn't need to start thinking like an adult to _that_ degree! And certainly not about her parents. Her separated parents. Her separated but _not_ divorced parents whom she dearly wanted to get back together.

"Hisako?"

She jumped a foot in the air and let out a very undignified, high-pitched squeal. Maybe she got lucky and only dogs could hear that. Hisako looked up, hands still half-covering her face, into the concerned gaze of her mother.

"I… didn't mean to startle you," Renora said, mouth pressing into a thin line, like she was trying to prevent a frown.

"Y-You didn't!" Hisako blatantly lied.

Neither spoke for a moment. Her mother finally looked away, glancing down the hall, and Hisako's gaze landed on her hand, gripping the door frame. Or, more specifically, the ring on her finger.

Renora turned back to face her, but if she caught where she was looking, her expression didn't register it. She always looked so composed, in all of Hisako's memories of her. In spite of her crumbling dignity, Hisako felt her face heat up again with the woman's attention. Her mother was actually in front of her. In person. For the first time in almost six years.

"You… aren't in school again," Renora remarked.

"Oh, um, I-I got excused so I could escort papa home—" Because she was normally the only one to help him and get the information from the doctors. Her voice died in her throat, but her mother's expression, again, didn't falter. "I don't miss a lot of school otherwise," Hisako mumbled.

"That's good to hear." Her mother finally looked away. She turned, beckoning behind her, and they went into Koichi's room. Her father was up and smiling pleasantly with the nurse inside, but when he caught sight of the two of them, side-by-side, his smile turned into the brightest grin she'd ever seen from him. Renora and Hisako looked in opposite directions with varying shades of pink cheeks.

"Now that all of _my_ awkwardness is out of the way, we get to play hooky with Ma-chan!" Koichi said happily, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Hisako glared up at him through her bangs. "I'm not skipping, papa."

"Alright then, but you still have the day off. So do I. Why not take advantage?"

"You shouldn't condone this sort of behavior," she scolded.

Her mother surprised her by agreeing. "This sort of leniency with schedules and schooling. It's not setting a very good example."

"And that's what I have you two for!" Koichi beamed at them. He threw an arm around each of their shoulders—a little awkwardly, his wife was taller than him—and steered them out the door. "Besides, shouldn't I have leftover birthday sympathy on my side?"

"That doesn't mean a free pass," Renora murmured. Hisako was liking her mother more and more by the second. "And I understand your excitement, but it's not good for you, dear."

_Dear!_ Hisako's mind screeched and before she could stop herself, she broke into a wide, maybe sappy grin. Her father's chuckle could do nothing to deter her improved mood.

"Look at how happy you've made our precious little girl," Koichi said pointedly. "Time for more pet names."

Renora's eye roll was nearly audible. "Why did I expect you to change? Why did I expect to come back to anything but a slightly larger child?"

"She's seventeen now."

"I know that," she said quickly, a note of defensiveness in her voice.

Hisako jumped in, heart in her throat, wanting to avoid anything remotely negative when they finally had something going for them. "Papa is still irresponsible and doting!"

"And Hisako has grown into a baker and a renter," he replied mildly, amusement dancing in his eyes. She smacked him on the arm for his betrayal, heat rising on her cheeks yet again. She had been hoping to quietly avoid mention of the cake.

"A renter of what?" Renora asked, puzzled.

Hisako completely shrugged off her father's arm and folded hers over her chest with a huff. Koichi kept smiling, perfectly innocent. But he came to her rescue when he turned to his wife, pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, and asked, "How long will you be staying with us? I know you mentioned last night extending your stay. I'm not afraid to use this against you."

"Until the second," Renora replied and her eyes flickered, briefly, down to Hisako. They were the same warm golden brown that she shared. Hisako had her mother's eye and hair color, but looking at the woman now, leaning against her husband with a small quirk of her lips, she wished she were half as glamorous.

Hisako purposefully stayed apart from them the entire way home, watching every moment, warmth slowly filling her chest. Her mother was built like a model—perhaps not as thin, but tall and imposing. And yet, she looked so good with her father. Not that her father was particularly homely, but her mother's presence at his side made him light up in ways Hisako hadn't seen. He looked happier, but he looked more relaxed, too. More complete.

_Is that being too sappy?_ Hisako was not against being sappy when it came to her parents. They were clearly happy together, comfortable, easing into wider and brighter smiles as they readjusted to each other. They loved each other, even still. _But I—_

"Hisako," her mother called, just in time to cut off that particular thought. "Is this the cake you made?"

"I'm not answering that," she replied as she nudged off her shoes. Her mother's short boots had intimidating heels on them. But they were cute. Her mother worked in fashion, but did she actually like shoes?

"I'll declare it to anyone that can hear!" Koichi exclaimed, and then paused in the kitchen. "Do we get cake for lunch?"

"Papa!" Hisako said, just as Renora warned, "Koichi…"

The two exchanged a look. Renora's expression was hard to read. Hisako was afraid she looked scared. Her father burst out laughing. "I'll willingly admit I may have been waiting for that to happen."

"And doing your best to hurry it along?" Renora chided and took the plates from him. She did a little turn in the kitchen, unsure of where to put them, and with another, softer chuckle, Koichi took them back and opened the cabinet where they belonged.

Her mother didn't exactly look comfortable in the kitchen, yet then again, she looked out of place in the entire apartment. Hisako sat on the couch, hands folded in her lap, and stared as her mother poked around. There weren't many decorations, but there were photos, and little knick knacks, and Hisako was certain it was only a matter of time before her father dug out old school assignments or crayon drawings or something.

_She was around when you were a little kid_ , Hisako chided herself, but the very image of her mother in front of her was still so alien. And her father would probably break out the embarrassing stuff soon, anyway.

Renora took her time, looking down the line of photographs on the shelves near the closet, picking up one or two with careful hands. Hisako wished she could remember which was which. She prayed they were good ones. She knew one of them was of her and one of their old neighbors, all skinned knees and missing teeth and mud everywhere. Her mother had still been there, but it would remind her of what Hisako did _not_ want: the past.

"When was this one taken?" Renora asked, finally breaking the silence.

Koichi leaned over her shoulder, one of his arms snaking around her waist. Hisako's heart clenched. "Oh, Kyoto."

The trip her mother had missed out on. "Ah," Renora said, voice devoid of emotion.

Hisako fidgeted with her skirt hem. Her father gave her a look, as if telling her not to be afraid of her mother, but didn't tell her to move from her spot on the couch. Hisako was going to sit there, and she was going to force herself to adjust to her mother, or she was going to explode. Or maybe both.

And then, she promptly realized that she hadn't cleaned her room that morning.

Hisako darted down the hall with a panicked squeak before either of her parents ( _either of them!_ ) could say anything. She might have slammed the door with more force than strictly necessary.

It didn't take long to straighten, and maybe more things got shoved under her bed than she'd admit to, but her floor was clear and her bed was made. She looked around at her room, alarm still hanging in the back of her mind; there were a couple posters (why did she even still _have_ that Featherman poster?!), a stack of books on her desk (would her mother find it strange to see Jung in there?), and a spread of tarot cards on her corkboard. Hisako wavered. All of it was strange. She should be more feminine, right?

Hisako made what had to be the twentieth embarrassing squeak of the day when her phone buzzed, nestled into her bedspread. It was a message, from Takeshi of all people. ' _wat r U wearin 2mro? (๑ゝలơ)_ '. She stared at it, unsure of how to even begin with that. A moment later, another came. ' _cn we match senpai pls pls pls o(≧∇≦o)_ '

A little part of her regretted giving him her number, but the larger part of her was amused, and grateful his silly texts had broken her panic spiral. And she was glad to see that he was just as ridiculously flirty in writing as in person.

_Maybe I should have told him about Mathias-san_ , she realized, frowning at her phone. On the heels of that, Hisako realized that (if she could work up the courage) she could ask her mother to help her pick out an outfit. _...At the very least, I should tell them I'll be gone for a little while tomorrow_. She felt torn about going to the group date with her mother there. She wanted to spend more time with her, but she was also still a little afraid. _And I need to prove to her that I am adjusting well!_

It would be a glorious example of how well she was adjusting to her new school and life. And she could see what happened when Takeshi and Suzuka, masters of gendered attention, met. Yeah, she could give up a couple hours of awkwardly and inwardly panicking over her mother for that. Right?

She got up from her bed and reopened her door, but when she did, she heard soft voices from the living room. She made it two steps down the hall before the realized that her parents were talking about _her_. "—supposed to be. It's an adjustment," her mother's voice drifted to her.

"She's getting used to you, too, again," came her father's gentle tone.

"You must think me a horrible mother."

"I do not."

" _She_ must—"

"You came back. You're not perfect, and I won't answer for Hisako, but I think she's just glad to have you back now. Even for a visit."

"I… would like to be part of her life again. Your life. But with my career right now…"

"Baby steps?" Koichi asked, hopeful.

"...Why do you call her Ma-chan?" Renora asked in return, voice low.

Hisako held her breath for how he would answer that one. And then her phone rang. Actually rang, too, blaring out a jazzy tune, startling her so badly she dropped it. It clattered loudly to the floor, as if she needed _more_ of a giveaway.

She scooped it up with shaking hands, unsure if she was angry or glad, and slunk back into her room. How was she going to explain _that_? Hisako was momentarily taken over by confusion, however, when she saw Yuri's name flashing on the screen. "Uh, hello?"

"I have no idea where you live," Yuri said gruffly.

"I… know?" She didn't know where he lived, either.

"Sakuraba had practice and she's absolutely _convinced_ you're mad at her. What did you two do? Is this still about the mixer?"

"I am not! I just—" she lowered her voice, "—had some things to take care of today. I'll be back tomorrow, I told you."

"That's great, but I still need you to meet me," he replied, sounding annoyed.

"...Uh?"

"Poirier told me what bus stop to get off. I know you live in an apartment building. That's it."

"You're _outside_? Why?"

"Your notes?"

She sighed, exasperated. She had meant to pick them up tomorrow. But she wasn't going to turn him away if he had come all that way, and leaving to talk to him was as good a distraction as any for getting by her parents. "Hold on." She pressed the phone to her shoulder and padded out into the living room, trying not to look guilty. "Um, I need to meet a friend outside to pick up the notes I missed. I-I'll be right back."

She didn't try to decipher her mother's expression and her father just smiled at her. Hisako fled the scene and hoped that was all they'd do to her.

She found Yuri half a block up, sour-faced, hands jammed in his pockets. His expression didn't get any better when he noticed her. "Don't you ever leave me alone with Sakuraba and Poirier again. That was terrifying."

"Terrifying?" Hisako repeated, trying hard not to sound like she was judging him.

"Both of them afraid they'd upset you. Like sad little puppy dogs at my ankles, all day, and _why_ did they think I knew what was going on any better than they did? So, what's going on," Yuri said without break in his complaints. Hisako blinked up at him, unsure how serious he was being. He looked her up and down and arched an eyebrow. "Going out? Thought the mixer was tomorrow."

"You can still take my place."

"You dug that hole yourself."

"Suzuka-chan—"

"Not getting in the middle of it, sorry," Yuri said, hands up in mock surrender.

"Then why'd you come halfway across the city to ask me about it?" Hisako asked in reply.

"Because you missed two days of school and I'm worried," he replied bluntly. He dug around in his bag, pulled out a couple papers, and held them out to her, clearly expecting an answer, too.

Hisako wouldn't admit to his face that she was a _little_ touched by his worry. Actually, after a moment of thought, she figured she was more touched by the fact that he admitted it to her face. "It was just… personal stuff."

"Personal stuff," Yuri repeated, disbelief thick in his voice. "More personal than—"

"My father collapsed at work and my mother came back. For a visit," she hastily said.

"...Not expecting that. Better than Irkalla stuff or magic. ...Right?"

"I think so." She really didn't want to go back inside and potentially face eavesdropping charges. But Yuri looked like he'd rather have teeth pulled than stick his foot further into his mouth, even if she didn't mind his nosiness right then. Hisako wasn't sure what to change the subject to.

He saved her with that, too. "You look nice," he blurted out, and set a new record for himself with how quickly he backpedaled. "I know you're always wearing skirts and dresses in Irkalla, but those colors look good on you. The lighter colors work better with your hair and skin tone. And I'm not used to seeing you in nice casual clothes. And you're going to take this all the wrong way, aren't you." He ended with a rather pathetic groan.

Hisako bit back her laugh and patted his arm in sympathy. "I think you complimenting my color palette is one of the nicest things you've said to me."

"Oddly, that makes me feel worse."

"It cheered me up, so thanks."

Yuri graced her with a rare smile and shrugged her hand off of him. "Score one for me. Do all these brownie points I'm getting today mean I can avoid all of the romantic drama fallout for tomorrow?"

"You'd have to bring actual brownies to get that lucky," she replied, nudging him, maybe prompting him. He prodded her right back. She poked him in the side, hoping he'd be ticklish, and Yuri snorted and lifted her up under her arms. She yelped and narrowly avoided kicking him.

"Why do you even want brownies from me? What kind of monstrous sweet tooth do you have?" he asked and dropped her.

She smacked him with the notes he'd given her. "Why do you keep trying to duck out of any semblance of camaraderie?" Hisako demanded.

"Because I know what that means to girls," Yuri replied evasively, braced like he was expecting another papery attack.

She wasn't sure how to articulate that all of the girl stuff she'd been dragged into lately scared her nearly as much as it did him. Before she could, another voice interrupted.

"Ma-chan? Oh—I recognize you."

Hisako started violently—setting new records for herself, too, how did she not keel over from a heart attack yet that day—when she heard her father's voice. Yuri paled and looked ready to bolt. On reflex, Hisako reached over and snagged his shirt to prevent such a thing. It'd only look worse if he did. She turned around with a forced grin for her father. "Papa! I was just, um—Yuri-kun was dropping off some notes."

Koichi's gaze dropped to where she was holding onto his shirt. Even that didn't make her let go, since Yuri was actively pulling against her hold. _Oh no, you are not leaving me to explain this to my father_. She wasn't even sure what 'this' had been. It wasn't as if they'd been doing anything wrong. "This is that classmate of yours," her father said neutrally.

Way too late, she remembered that he recognized Yuri from the hospital. Her mother came out of the building behind him, hair pulled up with a clip. She blinked in surprise at the sight before her. Behind Hisako, Yuri had gone rigid. "U-Um. This is my classmate, yes, Y-Yuri Kikuchi."

She glanced up at him to find his cheeks slowly reddening, eyes on Renora.

_You have got to be kidding me_.

"How close are you to my daughter?" Renora asked, tone inappropriately cool. Her eyes found Hisako's hold on his shirt and she let go as if the gaze burned her. "Hisako, do you have a boyfriend? Is this your boyfriend?"

Hisako and Yuri's strangled whines were just about identical.

Renora advanced on them, heels clicking ominously, brushing past her snickering husband. "How long have you two known each other? What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

Hisako intercepted her, throwing her arms around her and burying her face in the front of her blouse. "Oh my gosh, _mother_! He's just a friend and you—what are you _saying_?"

"Was that too much?" Renora asked, intimidating facade dropped in an instant. Hisako pulled her face away from her shirt, looking up at her, horrified and embarrassed at the dawning realization. Her father burst into laughter behind them. Yuri made another kicked puppy noise.

Hisako was about to retort, scolding her like she scolded her father, when another realization hit: she had willingly embraced her mother. Granted, it was out of a desire to stop further mortification (and trauma toward her friend), but the fact remained.

She leapt back, away from her mother, and into Yuri. He stopped her from stumbling with a hand on her shoulder. Her mother narrowed her eyes at the gesture and he froze up again. "Mother! Wh-What are you doing?!" Hisako demanded.

"Your father told me I have several years of parental embarrassment to catch up on."

" _Papa_!"

"I-I'm going to go," Yuri all but wheezed, backing away slowly. She couldn't deny him a retreat after _that_. Hisako mumbled out something about seeing him tomorrow, face buried in her hands, unable to comprehend her mother's reemergence into her life like _that_.

"He seems like a good kid," Koichi remarked pleasantly.

Hisako smacked him with her notes. "He's not going to talk to me for a week. At least."

"Surely he's not that scared of you," Renora said, but she was giving her husband a frown.

"Why are you two even out here? Just to embarrass us both?"

"Yes," her mother said with an impressively straight face. Her father hid another snort of laughter in his hand. "And we were thinking of going to an early dinner together," she added.

_No wonder they ended up married_ , Hisako thought darkly. Before, she had halfway wondered what had kept them together, what had drawn them together initially. She had naively wondered what it would be like to have both of them around and to observe them together over time.

She fumed as she texted apologies to Yuri in the taxi. But she was even angrier at the tiny part of her that was _happy_ her mother had put forth the effort to try.

-.-.-

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

…

"Yuri-kun's not talking to me and you look so pretty and my mother _teased_ me last night and Mathias-san is going to ignore me and _your boobs are too huge_!" Hisako all but wailed. Suzuka patted her on the back. It was hard to tell if she was paying attention.

The girls were in the restroom of the cafe they had decided to meet at. A cute little restaurant, with cupcakes in the window that made Hisako drool, and that utterly didn't matter because she was expected to flirt with Mathias and be flirted with and he wasn't going to pay any attention to her because of Suzuka.

And her mother had teased her about trying to make Yuri jealous when she'd told them about the mixer. Hisako had realized, very early on, that her mother was far more dangerous than her father: her mother delivered all lines with a perfect poker face. At least her father had the grace to smile or laugh.

"Do parents normally tease their children? Is that what families are supposed to do?"

"Less family, more boys," Suzuka advised.

Hisako glared at her cleavage. "Not happy with you, either."

"It's an incentive!" the short-haired girl exclaimed. That was her defense and she was sticking to it. "You can't rely on being shy and cute and letting him stutter over you. You gotta get your game face on, girl."

"I don't _have_ a game face," Hisako complained.

"Look at you! You're tall and thin and your outfit is slamming! You are going to compete with me. You are going to _win_ ," Suzuka said with a sharp grin. She pulled Hisako to her feet, pushed her in front of the mirrors, and adjusted her necklace for her.

"I'm almost as tall as he is."

"Do not get into a height fight with me. I'll win. Now, repeat after me: I am cute."

She growled something wordlessly. Suzuka poked at her side until she repeated her words.

"I am going to score a hot stud."

"I am not!" Hisako cried.

"Then you're going to get to the point where you're not a blushy mess around him! And then you can pass notes and make eyes and write him the most beautiful confession letter. 'I may be married to a bird man, but I want to spend the rest of my high school career with you'!"

"You're not exactly giving me the best pep talk I've ever heard," she deadpanned.

Suzuka tittered and adjusted the barrette in her hair. "At this point, I've given up on just about every tactic save the 'let's piss her off until she wins the man out of spite' route. It's not my best but I'm grasping here."

"You didn't have to do any of this."

"Hey, mixers are fun! Even little thrown-together ones like this. Now come on, someone else should be here by now!"

Before she could protest, Suzuka grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the restroom. Hisako resisted the urge to shrug her off. It felt very strange to get more tough love from her friend than her mother; in fact, she was more used to the teasing route from Suzuka, too. But she certainly didn't want tough love from her mother. She didn't want tough love from anyone. She wanted Yuri to speak to her and Mathias to not make her heart double in speed and for—

"Mika-chan would have liked this," Hisako said before she could stop herself.

Suzuka halted and dropped her arm. She didn't seem upset, but cocked her head thoughtfully. "Haruka and I dragged her to a mixer once."

"What was it like?"

"Uh, hilarious. I doubt this one will end the same way, but don't throw drinks on anyone, 'kay?"

Tough love reminded her more of Mika than anyone else. And that sort of thinking wasn't what she should be starting off a group date with.

Out in the cafe proper, the rest of their group had arrived. Keitaro Hirose, the male class representative, stood next to Mathias, who was all but clinging to him. The blond boy couldn't keep his eyes off of Takeshi, missing a hat but still with messy hair, who was staring at him like he was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. The last of the mixer, a brunette girl with a flower clip in her hair, smiled with the air of someone who didn't want to notice how awkward the boys were being.

She jumped to her feet when she spotted the other girls. "Hi! You must be Kei-kun's classmates."

Suzuka turned to her over her shoulder, waggling her eyebrows at the nickname. The group claimed a table, and Hisako found herself sitting across from Takeshi and next to Suzuka, who was in turn across from Mathias. Hisako tried not to glare at her. She could have at least let them sit across from each other. The third girl, Shizue Shibanuma, started off introductions with a practiced air.

"I'm actually friends with Kei-kun's sister, and she's been trying to set me up with him for ages, and—"

"And I'm Keitaro Hirose, class rep for 2-4, and thoroughly regretting this," he broke in.

"And we of Hirose's class _really appreciate_ him stepping up for us," Suzuka chirped, chin in her hands. "Way to take one for the team. Talk about class loyalty."

"Let's get on with this," he groaned and slumped in his seat, already defeated by the two grinning girls.

Introductions weren't hard. Hisako could do that much. She did find Takeshi's curious looks in Suzuka's direction strange, but she supposed the push-up bra magic trick could do that. Mathias looked a little nervous, but he just batted those sea blue eyes and Hisako found herself paying attention to little else.

It even became a comfortable sort of atmosphere, though she barely knew half the people there. Keitaro and Suzuka wasted no time before bickering over grades and homework ("Your grades have been all over place after Watanabe left, don't lie to me—" "What did you expect? I'm still trying to find someone else to copy off of!"). Takeshi did take over the group's attention when he offered to try to guess what sweet snack each girl would like to order (two out of three correct, and he only lost Shizue because she was allergic to chocolate). And when both Hisako and Suzuka offered to let Mathias try theirs, he chose Hisako (first, but she counted it as a win, and by her smirk, so did Suzuka).

And then it came out that Shizue was passably fluent in English.

"Well, I'm not about to be an exchange student, but the university I'm hoping for has a strong foreign language program," the older girl said, waving her hand, but she couldn't shake Mathias' attention. He asked her a question in English, and she responded first with embarrassment, and then interest.

Suzuka elbowed Hisako in the side, but the blonde had sunk low in her seat; she was _not_ going to get into the middle of that. She wouldn't try to compete in another language, but more importantly, she knew how homesick he was. Listening to him talk at length in his native language, she realized how much more easily he spoke. She was happy just listening and watching how open and relaxed his expression became.

Their class rep rolled his eyes but didn't try to interject, either. Suzuka tried, once more, to physically prod Hisako into doing something, but she was set. The redhead mirrored her posture, sinking low into her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

Watching Mathias recount a story to Shizue about something that involved (adorable) cat noises, Hisako was distracted. And, to be fair, she had expected Suzuka to be her only wing-woman. Takeshi and Suzuka hadn't immediately begun a shameless flirt-fight, and Hisako was unused to seeing him outside of club activities.

Maybe she was as obvious as Yuri always claimed. Takeshi glared, horrendously affronted, at Mathias ignoring Hisako, and took matters into his own hands. "Senpai," he said, loud enough to pull her attention away, and thrust his spoon at her. Hisako blinked at the offered cake. "You haven't tried mine yet, have you? You know I have the best taste."

"Uh," Hisako intelligently replied, struggling to remember why she had discounted Takeshi so early. Oh, right, Mathias in her proximity. "What is it?"

"Tiramisu," Takeshi replied, leaning forward with a smile that bordered on predatory. She wasn't intimidated, but she was approaching anxious. The way he was holding the spoon made it clear that she wasn't going to get to hold it, so she opened her mouth.

Her mouth closed on the treat—she had thought it'd be chocolate, not coffee—and he pulled his spoon back almost at once. She instinctively followed so she was leaning forward, too, and still ended up with frosting on her lips. Takeshi grinned at her confused look. That close, she noticed a smattering of freckles across his cheeks, half-hidden by his glasses. _Is he flirting again?_ Hisako thought, but he was doing it too obviously. _He's showboating again. Why?_

Takeshi inclined his head, ever so slightly, to the boy beside him. Then he winked.

"I can make it better, if you like it, senpai," he said, pitching his voice inappropriately low.

Hisako noticed that Mathias kept peeking over at her out of the corner of his eye. But before she could decide whether or not to go along with the make-him-jealous plan (her inner Atticus roaring with approval, to her shame), there was a thud under the table and Takeshi jerked back with a growl.

Suzuka glowered at him over her cheesecake.

"I can't believe I have to say this, but no fighting," Keitaro scolded. "This was _your_ idea, remember?"

"My foot slipped," she replied simply.

"It's okay," Takeshi replied with a beaming smile. "Want to try some tiramisu, too? I don't mind sharing with two cute girls."

"Yes, I _do_ ," Suzuka said and leaned forward with an open mouth.

Hisako couldn't believe it, but she was witnessing _aggressive_ flirting. She had expected Suzuka and Takeshi to be a sight to behold, but not quite like that. She didn't know how to communicate to her friend that Takeshi was on her side, too, and by the way he _didn't_ like her for vaguely perplexing and frustrating reasons.

"Hisako-senpai, can I try some of yours?" Takeshi asked and there was another thud under the table, but no accompanying flinch. He gave Suzuka a very smug smirk after that one.

"I-I suppose, since you _did_ pick it out for me," Hisako said, uneasy sitting between them all of a sudden.

She offered her fork, wishing she didn't have to share utensils with half the table, but Suzuka's revenge came in the form of thievery, and she grabbed Hisako's hand with both of hers and brought the bite to her mouth, instead. She stared at Hisako over their clasped hands, fork hanging from her mouth, as if asking _what are you doing?!_

Hisako looked pointedly at Takeshi. Suzuka's eyes narrowed. Hisako decided she was bad at friend telepathy and tugged on her fork, hoping for a dignified retreat.

"Do I get to try, too?" Shizue asked brightly. So much for dignity. Hisako flushed and _really_ hoped that had been a joke. Shizue scooped up some ice cream and held it out to Keitaro, who was soon matching Hisako's red cheeks. "Say 'ahh', Kei-kun."

" _Is this normal for mixers?_ " Mathias asked in English, looking between his two blushing classmates.

" _Not all of it_ ," Shizue answered him. " _I did not mean to start a fight over you_."

He looked guiltily back at Takeshi and Hisako, the former of which trying to coax the latter into sharing her tea. Suzuka aimed another kick underneath the table, despite Hisako's hiss at her, and Mathias jumped and swore in French.

"No more fighting!" Hisako exclaimed. Mathias, hunched over to rub at his leg, nodded in agreement. She glared at Suzuka, but when Takeshi snickered, she pointed at him with her fork. He responded by biting down on it and tugging it out of her grasp.

"Everyone, back to your own food," Keitaro grumbled. "This isn't a game or a preschool."

Takeshi leaned back in his chair, pleased and wiggling Hisako's fork in his mouth.

"Give that back," she demanded.

"For a kiss?" he challenged and Hisako very quickly threw out an arm to keep Suzuka in place.

Shizue waved over a server and asked for a new fork. She handed it to Hisako with a very amused grin, but at least she was helpful to the source of her entertainment. Better than some people at the table.

They did behave for a little while longer, and it was pleasant, just chatting, but of course it couldn't last. All it took was Suzuka leaning forward, cleavage on display—no one missed the direction Mathias and Keitaro's eyes went, and Shizue sighed—and one jealous kick from Takeshi. Except he missed Suzuka and hit Hisako. Mathias declared he was done and the class rep was just a moment behind him.

Suzuka and Hisako sat on a bench just outside, waiting for Shizue to finish teasing the boys for their behavior, and Hisako counted herself lucky that they avoided that one. "That didn't go as planned," Suzuka admitted.

Hisako gave her a flat look. "Really."

"Normally group dates are more giggly, not territory wars. It didn't help that this was last-minute and sort of small."

"I'm never going on one again." At least not with Suzuka or Takeshi. She wasn't mean enough to voice that.

"Well, what was _with_ that first-year? You didn't tell me he was into you!"

"He's _not_!"

"Sure fooled me," Suzuka mumbled.

"He's—I don't know. He's a social link, though."

"Well, keep an eye on him. He's a flirt—"

"And he already got in trouble with it. I think we're all ending up with bruises on our legs," Hisako said and sighed. She knew she was.

Takeshi came out first, arms folded behind his head, grin in place. "You look awfully proud of yourself for someone who just got scolded," Suzuka remarked.

"I got her number."

"Hisako-chan, how do you _deal_ with this guy?" the redhead asked in disbelief.

"With a lot of grace and accepting of sweet bribes," Takeshi responded before Hisako could. The cheeky little brat had the nerve to wink, too, and she reddened in spite of herself. "Not sure I want to skip a club meeting again, but I'd be fine with going out with you again, senpai. If you don't manage to snag your prince charming soon, of course."

"Just get going. I'll see you next Wednesday," Hisako ground out. Takeshi left, waving and laughing, and not at all bothered by Suzuka sticking her tongue out at him.

"Next time, I'm inviting everyone. Your social links are weird."

"You're one. And I'm not going on another one. I'll just—approach Mathias-san normally, and I'll confess properly, a-and that will be it, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, if you can manage it," Suzuka said, patting her on the shoulder. "I can—" She caught sight of something on Hisako's other side, and quickly said, "I'm gonna go bother Hirose about the upperclassman that's sweet on him! Talk to you later!"

Hisako had only a moment of dismay and betrayal as Suzuka darted around her and back inside before she turned and found Mathias standing there. He had his hands in his pockets and looked a little sheepish. Adorably sheepish. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she echoed.

"I'm sure Suzuka-san went back inside to buy us time, so would you mind if I walked you to the bus stop?"

"Sure—I mean no, I wouldn't mind that. At all."

While her heart was thundering in her ears, it seemed easy to walk alongside him compared to the mess of a date they'd just been on. He was only a little bit taller than her, but he was hunched slightly, as if still embarrassed. She hardly blamed him. After a heavy pause, he told her, "I, um, did not mean to ignore you."

"It was fine. I know you're homesick."

" _Oh, dieu merci_ ," he let out in a rush. "I thought you would be mad at me."

"Why?"

"I didn't mean to ignore you," he repeated, hunching further. "And I had wished to go out with _you_."

"It was…" She couldn't say nice, since she didn't think an afternoon was nice if she had to make sure to never let two people interact with each other ever again. "Entertaining," Hisako settled on diplomatically.

"I hadn't thought Suzuka-san would be so possessive. Is that what she was?"

"She was something." She didn't necessarily want to discuss Suzuka's plan with him. At least her chest had been the least of her worries.

"Next time, I will not put so much pressure on you. But I hope there will be a next time," Mathias said and turned to her with a hopeful, eager smile. She found herself nodding, not trusting her voice right then. He turned from her, glancing at the bus stop, and then quickly leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "And now I will leave as proudly as I can manage. See you on Monday, Hisako-san!"

Mathias all but ran off, the tips of his ears red against his light hair, and Hisako gingerly placed a hand against her cheek.

-.-.-

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

…

No one really wanted to be there except for Suzuka. Yuri was skittish around Hisako, Hisako was put-out that she had to turn down studying with Mathias, and Shunya was literally digging in his heels as Suzuka dragged him towards the cemetery.

"I'm not really sure why _I_ have to be here," he said for the seventh time. "I don't need any more proof." That was number nine.

"You shouldn't be so scared, senpai!" Suzuka said, seeming a little _too_ happy to be hanging onto his arm. "This is just a quick run to map out some more stuff, and Kikuchi is going to try drawing our Personas for you, so you have a better idea of—"

"I don't want a better idea!" Shunya cried.

"We don't have to go today," Hisako said faintly.

"You were outvoted," Suzuka sang.

"I'm the leader."

"Shunya-senpai needs to _not_ be terrified of us. Which you agreed with. And we need to draw more arrows. Which was your idea," Yuri said tersely. She looked up at him and he shrank away.

"This is a bad idea," Shunya said. Hisako had lost track of that one.

"You're not coming down with us. You will be waiting here for just a moment for you," she said, finally resigning herself to their Tuesday trip. Their schedule had become a mess after Mika, and with Ngeshtin-ana still out there, they couldn't afford not to practice. "You're safe up here, senpai. It won't take long and nothing's going to happen."

"You told me you'd be our moral support," Yuri added. "Be a good, supportive senpai, like you're always trying to be in Art Club."

"If this is so dangerous, why are you doing it?"

"To be prepared."

They sat Shunya down in the grass with their schoolbags and an extra water bottle. Hisako felt a little (stupidly) like a parent. The dark-haired third-year looked up at them, expression fearful, and she answered the unspoken question. "We'll be fine."

They were probably being a little unfair to him. Irkalla was a mystery to him, unknown and off-limits, and all he knew was that it was dangerous and had killed someone. Before they went down the stairs, Shunya caught Yuri's hand, and murmured, "Be careful."

Yuri ignored Suzuka's waggling eyebrows the entire way down the staircase.

The first level of the labyrinth was mapped up until the gallery portion, and that was a straight path. So they began with Suzuka's level, which mercifully was not full of storms. They discussed painting signs all the way through, but with the shortcut, it seemed like a lot of unnecessary effort.

In the end area before the stairs to the third floor, they took a break. There weren't any surprise shadows, and the variety had somewhat returned, too. Hisako was glad. Neither of her friends commented on it, so she wasn't about to, either, but she knew it hadn't gone unnoticed. (Even if she still wished to know _how_ much of each floor was influenced by them.)

Yuri sat down with a sprawl and dug a sketchbook out of his bag. "Personas back out."

"A second portrait by the infamous Yuri Kikuchi!" Suzuka squealed, and she probably didn't mean that so meanly. He glared at her over the edge of the paper.

"These are sketches to show Shunya-senpai. For reference. And they're not of _you_ , and they won't be colored."

"No need to sound so grumpy," she said, hands on her hips.

"Suzuka-chan," Hisako warned. The redhead rolled her eyes and dug the point into her arm. She had to squeeze out a dribble of blood before Tiamat would appear.

Suzuka plopped down in the middle of the area, and then laid out on her back, kicking her feet in the air while Tiamat twisted over her. Even when Yuri called for her to keep her Persona still, Tiamat kept coiling, though to a lesser extent. Hisako sat down beside the artist, a little further than she normally would, and resisted the urge to peek at his sketch.

"I'm, um, sorry. About my parents—about my mother," she told him after a long, awkward silence. She was surprised he hadn't broken it, but then again, he was busy drawing. She hoped it was that and not because he was still sore.

"I'm used to parents," he replied with a half-shrug.

"Then are we okay again?"

"We were never not okay?" Yuri said, frowning, but not turning from his sketchbook.

"You were avoiding me."

"I've already heard what happened at that group date. I did _not_ want to get dragged in."

"You jerk, that was before! You owe me brownies!" While relieved that there wasn't as much of an issue as there could have been, she couldn't entirely dismiss her annoyance. "And you're still acting like I'll bite you."

"I'm just struck by the similarity between you and your mother. Add twenty centimeters and a terrifying presence and you're there."

She wasn't sure what to react to first from that statement. So Yuri was intimidated by her mother—no surprise. He didn't think Hisako could be terrifying? ...Okay, she probably couldn't.

She opened her mouth to reply, but he added, "I want to paint her."

" _No_!" she shouted, making Suzuka raise her head. Hisako lowered her voice and leaned in between his face and his sketchbook, and told him, "I'm fine ignoring your reputation and the occasional remark, but you're not painting my mother. I'm not getting you photo references, I really hope you don't meet again, and I won't hear anything bad about her."

"After she ditched you?" he asked in surprise. At least he hadn't called it abandonment.

"She's still my mother. And you can be callous about your models." She hadn't fully believed it until he'd started insulting Octavia.

It was also a strange point of pride for her, to be separate from his painting, to know him almost exclusively as someone else. Maybe that was just an after-effect of the words he'd used while possessed. It was likely a string of coincidences that kept it that way.

And she couldn't ignore the fact that she wanted her mother to herself, as silly as it sounded, even to her.

"Tiamat's a strange Persona for Sakuraba to have. Not very feminine, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised there, but she's so large. And scary," he said as he gently pushed her head out of his way and returned to his sketching.

"I didn't mean for that remark to be a prompt for you."

"I don't like drawing animals," he muttered with a pout.

"And you certainly don't pull any punches when it comes to commenting on things."

Yuri seemed embarrassed at that and pulled his knees up closer to himself. Hisako let him work in silence. It wasn't long, however, before he called for Inanna to be his next model, and he hummed to himself as he flipped over to a new sheet and began to draw.

Just when Hisako had wondered if Suzuka had fallen asleep out of boredom, the shorter girl leapt to her feet. "Yo, I know! Hisako-chan, you and me, sparring!"

"Um, no."

"I want a still model," Yuri replied with a scathing look in her direction.

Suzuka bounced from foot to foot, radiating energy and restlessness. "C'mon! Just us, not our Personas. We gotta be ready for surprises that they can't protect us from!"

Hisako had half a head on Suzuka and she still would not go near her in a fight if paid. "You fight with throwing knives. And you're a lot more athletic than me."

"You can learn to dodge! I've been trying to work out more, anyway, and you said yourself you were looking to!"

"I meant like jogging or something."

"Then at least go jogging with me. 'Round the edge. This place is making me itch." The last bit sounded more like a confession than anything else, so Hisako got up, dusted off, and tightened her laces. Suzuka cheered and began stretching. Hisako nervously mimicked her movements, unsure exactly of how to properly do things like that, and after unnecessary waving to Yuri, they set off at a brisk jog.

It became clear very soon that Hisako was _not_ in shape. She didn't exactly think of herself _out_ of shape, and during panicked sprints for their lives in Irkalla she had never been worried, and even during forced marches, Yuri had been on her winded-after-two-seconds team. She didn't think Suzuka was setting a grueling pace, and she wasn't mean enough to laugh or anything, but Hisako's face burned with more than exertion.

Halfway into their first lap, Hisako had to take a break. She was sorely tempted to call Inanna over to give her some ice to suck on, but Suzuka offered her water bottle. "So, I won't say anything—"

"Thank… you…"

"—but there is a park not too far from where you are. Me and Haruka used to go jogging there last year. Just do it in the mornings or evenings if you start this summer."

"I-I don't think… I should practice in Irkalla…"

"Be careful out there, too. It's a quiet neighborhood but you can't use awesome magic kickass skills up aboveground," Suzuka pointed out. Hisako nodded and wondered if it'd be rude to dump half the bottle onto her head.

They waited until she'd caught her breath again before jogging back to Yuri and Inanna. Hisako, despite the burning in her throat, made a point not to stop again until they passed him. It was a pity that people's lives depended on her—and that remark wasn't funny at all, either. She forced herself not to think of Mika, but the scared little part of her wondered, _If we had been faster…?_

"It can't happen again," she said aloud.

"I don't think the drawings were that bad," Yuri replied, frowning at the paper. "It looks better when I have a model to work with. Though she doesn't take orders very well."

"Of course not, she's Hisako-chan's Persona," Suzuka said and flopped down, barely winded. "Gonna join us on a run?"

Hisako groaned at the thought of another lap around the huge area. "I'm siding with Fujihara on this one. You get to be the muscle for a little while longer, and I'll sit here and draw," he said.

"Almost done?"

"Only Enlil to go."

"If we're doing another lap, we're doing ice skating!" Hisako declared; she was far better at skating.

Suzuka gleefully agreed and Hisako retrieved her staff. Inanna grumbled in the back of her mind, but she was easy to ignore. Hisako felt better about practicing magic and balancing while skating with her staff in hand than she did about jogging.

Suzuka challenged her to a race, which seemed unfair, but with enough cajoling, she reluctantly agreed. She had Inanna paint them a straight strip of ice across the back portion of the open area. Suzuka tried to chip a starting line with her skate, but she only ended up breaking off the ice blade and Hisako had to rebuild it. She was getting good at making them strong and straight enough to skate well on, at least.

Hisako ended up winning the race, but only because Suzuka literally tripped over the finish line. "C'mon, round two! Two out of three!"

"It looks like Yuri-kun's done. We'll skate back so he can practice his."

Said boy was less than thrilled with that order. But Hisako threw her leader weight around, and while he clung to the wall and Enlil (and the girls when they made the mistake of going near him), he did put in the practice. "Why don't we just _buy_ ice skates? I don't trust these homemade things and I'm going to break my ankle yet," he complained bitterly, but he raised a good point. The girls exchanged a look. It wasn't like they didn't have the money.

"Okay, buy ice skates. That's probably a little safer…"

"You think?" he groused.

"Good luck finding some in the middle of summer," Suzuka said with a smirk.

"We're not coming back here next week, are we? We'd have time to order some online."

"Oh… I suppose not," Hisako realized. Finals were the week after the next, and she wouldn't begrudge anyone studying time. She knew she needed it. _Hopefully with Mathias-san_.

Going back up into the hot summer air was something Hisako did not appreciate. Her hair stuck uncomfortably to the back of her neck and she saw Yuri retie his ponytail with a scowl she empathized with. Shunya looked up at them, equal parts surprised and relieved. "You really did come right back. That is… How long were you down there for?"

"Uh, no real idea?" She had forgotten to get an hourglass.

Yuri pulled his sketchbook out and handed it to him. "Long enough to get through two areas and draw the last four pages. I labeled the Personas."

"Two areas? I thought you said there were three?" Shunya asked as he eagerly flipped it open. Yuri made sure he kept flipping through older things until he got to the proper pages.

"We only went through two today. It was just… routine," Hisako answered after it was clear he wasn't. Shunya glanced up at her, and she could see him mentally adding it up. He didn't ask for confirmation.

"Yuri-kun, these are great! I had no idea—is this a lizard? In a cloud, or—what is this shading here—"

"She's a giant serpent-y thing! With claws as long as I am!" Suzuka exclaimed.

"I forgot to put in anything for scale," Yuri realized with a frown. He took out a pencil from his bag and quickly scribbled in a little stick figure next to each. Shunya's brows shot up in shock. "Told you they were giant things, senpai."

"But this is…" The upperclassman looked from the Tiamat sketch to Suzuka and back again.

"Size is totally everything," she said smugly and Yuri gave her a dirty look. She flexed with pride. "I got the biggest Persona 'cause I'm the muscle. It's a fact."

"Isn't a Persona a psych term? Related to the ego?" Shunya asked distractedly. Hisako hid a laugh behind her hand and Yuri outright snorted. Suzuka crossed her arms.

"Senpai, would you happen to know where to buy ice skates in July?" she asked to change the subject. That got him to look away from the drawings. She gave him a dazzling smile and he sighed.

-.-.-

Friday, July 4th, 2014

…

It had been a month since Mika died.

Her locker experienced a surge in flowers and cards. Hisako edged around the small pile, rubbed at her eyes, and resigned herself to one of her down days. It had been a month. An entire month—only a month. The guilt she'd worked so hard to tamp down reared its ugly head and she hurried out of the entryway.

At the stairs, Shunya caught her by the elbow. She tried not to shake him off on reflex. "Hisako-san, have you seen Yuri-kun yet?"

"No, I just got here. Do you think he'll come to school today?" she asked, lowering her voice as other students passed them.

"I'm not sure, but I'm worried. J-Just a little." Shunya fidgeted and adjusted his glasses to hide the movement. "I'll come bother you both at lunch, if I don't catch him earlier."

She wasn't sure Yuri would skip—he seemed to be doing alright—but he also had a habit of shoving things down inside until it came to a head. And she still didn't know how to approach the Mika topic with him, now that time had passed. Hisako bid farewell to Shunya and camped out in the classroom before the bell rang, hoping she'd see Yuri eventually.

She set her chin in her hand and waited, eyelids fluttering as she struggled to stay awake. She hadn't been sleeping so well lately, and surprisingly, it wasn't because of Mika or the Velvet Room. It had been unexpectedly hard to say goodbye to her mother. Renora had promised to visit during summer break, and offered to let them visit her (Hisako had her fingers crossed), but it still felt raw and too heavy. Her father had put on a brave face, but she could tell it had been tough on him, too.

She must have dozed off, because she jolted awake again at the sound of someone sliding into the seat next to her. Yuri arched an eyebrow at her stunned look. "Good morning," he said.

"Oh. Good morning." She didn't want to bring it up. He looked like he didn't, either. So, reassured that he was present and that they could talk at lunch when Shunya ambushed him (if he hadn't already), she closed her eyes again.

She knew she dozed off that time because she was woken rudely by the first bell. She cracked open an eye, feeling more tired than ever. Suzuka's desk, still empty. Haruka's and Mika's the same. Classmates filed in, some of them glancing at Mika's desk, most of them not. She thought she heard the class representative sigh as he passed.

She caught a glimpse of bright blond hair out of her eye and forced herself into full awakeness. Mathias didn't look at Mika's desk as he passed by and slid sullenly into his own chair. Hisako slipped out of her seat, ignoring Yuri's eye roll, and approached him. "Um, good morning, Mathias-san. I-I was wondering if you'd like to study together again this afternoon?"

" _Je m'en fou_ ," he muttered, then scratched at his head like it pained him. The movement of his fingers allowed her to see the tiny, black horns mostly hidden by his wavy hair. Hisako went rigid with shock, and Mathias looked up at her with an uncharacteristically dark look. It got worse when he smiled, baring his teeth at her. " _Décrisse, Inanna. Cette fois, je gagne_."

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+4)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★★☆☆☆ (+4)  
-Affable

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Commiserative


	19. Dia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sumerian is spoken and bridges are made.

Suzuka fretted out in the bathroom while Hisako threw up in one of the stalls. “At least your hair isn’t long enough that I need to hold it back?” she called, joke falling flat between them.

Hisako heaved again, but didn’t vomit up anything else. She whimpered into her arms. Was Ngeshtin-ana targeting social links, or friends, or was it just bad luck? There was no way she could have known of Hisako’s crush on him, but she felt the guilt all the same. She had made him a target.

“Y-You said that that Igor guy told you that she’s targeting people who could have Personas, right? So we just got to get him to make one. That shoves her out, we kick her ass, and you get to smooch him!” Suzuka called.

It was all the more unfair that it was on the month anniversary of Mika’s death. They were going to have to go through her floor. What if something else had moved in? What if Yuri or Suzuka created something on their levels? What if they couldn’t get to Mathias in time?

Suzuka’s phone buzzed, and after a moment, she said, “Kikuchi says that Matt-chan’s still just picking at his lunch. And he wonders if you’re still crying in Irkalla, will the tears freeze to you? Jeez, dude…”

Hisako let out a rough bark of laughter. “N-No, he’s right, we’re going to have to… We can save him.”

“We _will_ save him,” she replied firmly, fixing her with a determined look when she came out of the stall. Hisako rinsed out her mouth and splashed water on her face, trying to look like she wasn’t a mess for reasons she couldn’t explain to anyone.

_What would happen if we brought him into Irkalla ourselves?_ They may not have to fight through four floors of hell. But it could disrupt the process in which someone’s Persona got summoned, and she ultimately wasn’t going to risk that. Yuri’s floor was mapped out and easy, and Suzuka’s had a shortcut. And they could always break Mika’s. _What are we going to see in his…?_

The girls met Yuri and Shunya near the cafeteria. Mathias was seated alone at a table, stabbing at his food with a chopstick like he didn’t know how to use it. Maybe he didn’t. When the first three had been possessed, they had at least started out acting like themselves, but Mathias seemed to be on an accelerated path. He had spoken in French for most of the morning, and when an irritated Mr. Akiyama had snapped something back in French, he had switched languages again. It was not English or Japanese. Even the teacher was baffled before he was sent out into the hall as punishment.

Hisako had a dreadful sinking feeling he had picked up Sumerian.

“He’s lucky he hasn’t gotten in more trouble,” Yuri muttered. “So, what are we going to do, leader?”

“Please don’t,” Hisako begged in a whisper. She thought about threatening to throw up on him but she was worried it would become a reality if she thought about it. The guilt was too much.

“You have a pattern, right?” Shunya asked, hovering between them.

“Yeah. Follow them down whenever they sneak off, fight through monsters and mazes, and then have a shouting match until they get a nosebleed and explode into a giant person,” Suzuka said, nodding wisely. Shunya paled. Yuri smacked her in the back of the head. “Hey! Rude. It’s not wrong, is it?”

“Sh-She’s right,” Hisako said, drawing incredulous looks. “We have a pattern. We know it works. We just have to _make_ it work.” _This time_ hung unspoken between them.

“What happens if you speak with him?” Shunya asked.

“Go ahead,” Yuri said with a dismissive wave.

“Yuri-kun was normal for almost the entire day. Suzuka-chan was a little curt, but still spoke normally and acted pretty normal. Even… Even Mika-chan, w-we could talk to her, a little, but she got nervous when I tried to ask her about it. But Mathias-san i-isn’t!” With that, Hisako burst into tears. Again.

The other three kindly led her to a more secluded spot before Yuri seized her shoulders and leaned down to her eye level. “He was already speaking in tongues before this, so chill. We have a plan and we can do this. And hey, we’ve got an advantage this time, too.”

“We do?” Suzuka asked.

“He likes Fujihara back, right? Mika and I were a mess of every kind of emotion, but these two are the sappiest and sweetest idiots I’ve seen. If things go south, she lifts up her shirt and you and I grab him while he’s distracted.”

Shunya grabbed his ear and Suzuka moved to hit him, but Hisako surprised them by laughing. It wasn’t exactly a happy or comfortable laugh, but at least he had tried. And she was so glad (and jealous) that he could talk about Mika so easily. “Th-That may have to be a Plan D or E.” She wiped at her eyes, smile already fading, and admitted, “He called me Inanna earlier.”

Yuri’s expression pinched and he didn’t reply. Suzuka, rubbing her chin, spoke up. “These gods and goddesses and whatever have always been calling us by our Personas. That’s not new itself, really. So maybe he’s a little ahead of schedule—we already knew he was smart. Maybe sister bitch hopped onto that.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works,” Shunya said, and Hisako was inclined to agree. But she had raised a point, too. His hair was still blond and his eyes were still sea blue, so Ngeshtin-ana couldn’t be moving too quickly. And her ultimate goal was trading places, not just possessing someone, so he’d have to go to Irkalla eventually.

“Not that I wanted to hurry this along, but Poirier left,” Yuri said and Hisako and Suzuka scrambled back out into the hall so they’d have a clear view of the cafeteria. His table was empty, meal left behind.

“He hadn’t been coughing yet! H-He wouldn’t have left yet, right?” Hisako whined, looking up and down the hallway.

“Go check your classroom. Yuri-kun and I will check the lockers and courtyard,” Shunya said.

The girls practically tripped over themselves to get upstairs to check, but he wasn’t there, nor in the hall along the way. Suzuka checked his desk, and his things were still there, but Ngeshtin-ana would hardly care about that. The couple of students in the room said they hadn’t seen him since he’d left with his lunch.

They agreed to check the third floor and roof, but Suzuka literally ran into him on the stairs. Hisako barely avoided getting dragged down when the two fell over into a heap at the base of the stairs. Mathias shoved Suzuka roughly off but she pounced right back on him, sitting on his chest, pinning his arms to the floor with her knees. “You! Make this easy on yourself and just leave now, before we have to beat your ass again!” Suzuka demanded and jabbed her finger into his sternum.

Hisako edged closer, aware of the stares they were drawing. Mathias glared up at the girl on his chest. “ _Šag dab, Tiamat_?” he said, and at least his voice was still his own.

“Matt-chan doesn’t know that language, he only speaks three. Not yours. You could at least try to be subtle about your plan,” Suzuka growled back.

“ _Enbiše. Ineš, limmu. Emeĝir. Kiri šu tag Geštinanna_.” He stopped struggling and tilted his head back, smirking triumphantly. Hisako felt Inanna stir indignantly in the quiet place she hid while they weren’t in Irkalla. They’d probably just been insulted, though it wasn’t as if Ngeshtin-ana was unaware they spoke Japanese and not their language.

“Suzuka-chan, we can’t fight him right here,” Hisako whispered. Other students had stopped to stare and murmur behind their hands. “Get off of him. We’re just going to have to follow him.”

“ _Aussi habile comme toujours_ ,” Mathias said sweetly as Suzuka slid off of him. That sounded French again, but she was unsure if that was a good or bad sign. Worry overtook everything else when he started coughing. She bent down to help him, but he shrugged her off with a scowl.

He coughed through class, too. Hisako poked Suzuka in the back just before she raised her hand. “Mr. Tsukino? I-I’m not sure I feel very well. Could I go to the nurse’s office?” She used her best sick voice, and she knew she still looked pale. Her teachers knew of her history, too, but that part she felt horrible for using.

The man had to wait for Mathias to stop coughing before she could reply. “Hm, yes. Oh, I hope this isn’t a universe with a pandemic apocalypse…”

“I’ll take her!” Suzuka volunteered at once.

Mathias hunched over his desk with a particularly bad hacking cough. Mr. Tsukino eyed him with growing concern. “Take Matt-kun, too, if you’d please.”

Mathias snarled out something in Sumerian but the teacher tsked and gestured with his chalk. He sullenly followed the girls out. Yuri gave Hisako a look of barely concealed panic as they passed. She gave him a tiny shrug in return; she had hoped that he would be able to volunteer to escort Mathias out.

Out in the hall, the girls found themselves torn. Mathias backed away from them with a sneer. Suzuka started after him, but she cast a look behind them, at the classroom door. “What do we do?” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

“He’s going to fight us if we try to keep him here,” Hisako said, though she was ready to grab him if need be. She supposed they could always drag him into the girl’s bathroom and hope he didn’t scream or anything. “We shouldn’t split up. We know where he’s going.”

“He’s going to get a head start,” Suzuka muttered.

“We need Yuri-kun. It’s not like he can follow us down afterward, so we have to stick together.”

As much as it pained her to see, they let Mathias slink away from them and disappear downstairs with another cough. She texted Yuri, telling him that they’d be hiding out in the first floor girl’s room, waiting for whenever he could escape. He replied with an aggrieved ‘ _ughhhhhhhhhhhh_ ’.

They needed to come up with plans to get out of school. Hisako, in a pinch, could use her father. Maybe. Feigning sickness would only work some of the time, and they needed something foolproof.

The fire alarm went off.

Both girls jolted at the blaring sound, and ducked out into the hall in confusion. A few curious first-year students peeked out into the hall before their teachers shouted for order. Hisako whirled around as someone came running down the stairs; the evacuation hadn’t quite begun yet. Shunya, panting, pointed out the front doors. “You have to go before your classes make it downstairs. I’ll sneak Yuri-kun away somehow.”

“Win for team Persona! Owe you one, senpai!” Suzuka crowed and before Hisako could thank him, the shorter girl grabbed her wrist and they ran for it. They sprinted out of the courtyard and through the gates, hurrying out of sight, and Hisako wished they would have thought of the fire alarm sooner. But they couldn’t risk that frequently, either. She hoped Shunya wouldn’t get caught.

_No, this will be the last time_ , she vowed and twisted her wrist so she could grab Suzuka’s hand. Suzuka grinned at her and they slowed to a walk a block away from the school.

“It’ll be fine,” she said.

Hisako nodded, feeling better about the situation.

Yuri caught up not five minutes later, and while she didn’t exactly feel ready, they had to go. Mathias was not at the cemetery when they arrived. Neither of the girls had brought their bags with them, but Yuri had, and he carried his to leave in Irkalla. On the staircase down, he rummaged around in it. At Hisako’s curious look, he said, “Shunya-senpai gave me an old watch. Not digital. Maybe it’ll work…”

“Hopefully,” she replied, though she was a little afraid to know exactly how much time they were losing in that place.

They changed quickly. Hisako thought about just running for it, but Suzuka stared her down. The trio made sure to grab everything they could possibly need: umbrellas, extra water bottles, the first aid kit. Hisako ran her fingers nervously over her staff while she waited for the other two. It would be okay. It would have to be okay. She couldn’t think of any other outcome.

“From your grim dispositions, I must assume Ngeshtin-ana has returned with someone else,” Nergal said when they approached. Hisako nodded and his wings flapped in his agitation. “I will notify Ereshkigal, should she return before you. I wish you luck in this endeavor, Inanna.” He narrowed his green eyes at the other two and did not say anything else.

“Thank you, Nergal. We’ll return with the sister and our friend in tow.”

Hisako made skates and a swath of ice at the start of the maze. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer (despite Yuri’s grumbling). Inanna floated behind them, uncharacteristically passive, but she could feel something simmering beneath the surface. She obediently refilled the magic in her staff, so Hisako didn’t think it would be an issue.

The monsters were more varied than they had been last time, although there was still a surplus of dog-like shadows and the crying ones. Suzuka seemed more restless than normal, so they allowed her to peel off to give chase to them when possible, though one instance resulted in a stressful game of marco polo. Yuri was wound tight after that. They stayed together afterward.

Aside from an ambush by a pair of doctors with large breasts and larger scalpels, which Tiamat took care of herself, the first floor was easy. Not for the first time, Hisako had to wonder if they were getting better at fighting. Stronger.

Inanna prodded her mind with silent confirmation.

Hisako craned her neck back to look at her Persona, which unsurprisingly turned out to be a bad move and she fell on her ass on the ice, nearly taking Yuri down with her. “What the hell?!” he demanded shakily, clinging to the wall.

“Sorry,” she grumbled, pushing her annoyance onto Inanna. Her Persona took it without further reaction. _Why is she acting so docile?_ Inanna was normally the furthest thing from docile.

The paintings alternated between women in sundresses, palettes washed out, and sparkling photorealistic renditions of the sea. Yuri frowned at each one they passed. The last one dripped water out of its frame. But none spawned shadows, and they pulled out umbrellas for the second floor, Suzuka coloring slightly.

It turned out to be unnecessary. It was darker than usual and thundering, but dry. Suzuka heaved a sigh of relief and Yuri jumped at the first crack. “Can we, uh, walk this one?” he asked, already jittery. “My legs hurt.”

She didn’t want to see him jump and break an ankle on a bad fall. They’d already broken their blades off for the stairs (Suzuka requesting a slide one day in the future), and she didn’t want to waste more magic on ice, since they could already hear distant growls and roars from further in. They met their first monsters around the first corner, not even past the first set of statues: a mass of writhing, crackling eels. Tiamat hissed mutely at them and it took Inanna and Enlil an uncomfortably long time to clear them all.

The next encounter was a veritable field of masked sunflowers, starting beneath the Haruka statue. Hisako stared at them, unwilling to touch even one, and they waved happily back at her. Already things were starting to go a little green around the edges of her vision. “I didn’t do that,” Suzuka said defensively.

“We’re just going to have to run for it. Try not to stare,” Yuri said and waded out into them. There was a clap of thunder, and he jumped. A flower must have tripped him because he went down with a thump.

Hisako ran forward, staff raised, but Inanna picked her up by the back of the shirt and tossed her over the bulk of the field. “Hey! Yuri-kun, follow the sound of my voice!” she called over her shoulder, glowering at her Persona. She cast her bufu on the nearest of the flowers, flattening a few under frost. Suzuka fought her way through on the far side, hacking and slashing with two of her knives, and had significantly more success: she soon hauled Yuri to his feet and got him stumbling toward Hisako.

They met in the middle, none of them quite steady on their feet. Inanna’s disapproval was practically a physical thing. The sunflowers had turned blindingly violet, masks opening with silent cackles, and Hisako shut her eyes as she led the way back out. Enlil pushed them out with the edge of his paintbrush and swiped over the three of them with paint as an afterthought.

“I hate those things,” Suzuka grumbled, wiping her eyes. She squinted at Hisako. “You still look like you’re melting.”

“Oh gosh, ew. I usually just see colors and movement and it makes me a little nauseous.”

Yuri kept his eyes squeezed shut, his hand clasped tightly on the edge of Hisako’s stick. He didn’t add anything.

Strangely, being _in_ Irkalla lessened her sense of panic. They were halfway to Mathias, making progress, and no single shadow posed a real threat to them anymore. And Inanna was unusually calm, stabilizing her mood. She wondered if it was on purpose. But her Persona had never gone out of her way to comfort her before.

As they climbed through the shortcut hole, Hisako had to ask her, “You know we’re rescuing Mathias-san, right? He’s the one I like.”

There was a sharp, nearly painful spike of interest, which was then forcibly shoved down. By Inanna.

“You’re doing this on purpose,” Hisako said suspiciously.

“Wait, is Inanna misbehaving, too?” Suzuka asked, turning around, eyes wide.

“No, she’s not _mis_ behaving—too?” she asked in reply, suspicion skyrocketing. Inanna pressed against her in gentle irritation.

“They’re behaving extra well today. They’re keeping us calm and focused,” Yuri said from ahead. “Enlil’s been quiet, too. They don’t want our attention on them, but they don’t want us upset by Poirier.” He flinched suddenly and glared up at Enlil, who looked away innocently. “And they’re not happy we know this, even if you weren’t being subtle about it, Enlil. I’m onto your little tricks.”

She had known Yuri had always distrusted Enlil to a certain degree, but it was odd to question her own Persona’s motives. “Inanna, why are you being so good? Is that true?”

In unison, Inanna and Tiamat vanished. After a moment, in which Yuri reached out to grab his cloak, Enlil disappeared as well.

“The sister bitch was saying things earlier. I think she said something that spooked them,” Suzuka said. Hisako nodded, but that didn’t reassure her. “I’m pretty sure I can still fight with Tiamat. It’s not like they’re rebelling against us.”

“No, but I don’t think we should question them again. Not until we get to Mathias-san. Maybe that will give us some answers,” Hisako said. They pressed onward. She wished Inanna would have at least left her with an ice spell in her staff.

She caught Yuri checking the watch on his wrist as they descended down the third staircase. He shook it and frowned.

“Is it working?”

“It’s ticking, but it’s not timed properly. Too slow. We know we’ve been down here at least an hour and a half,” he said, and it sounded like a joke. They all knew it had been far longer. “Trying to figure out if we should double or triple it. Though I’m not sure it’s regular.”

They kept their heads down on Mika’s floor. Inanna came out when summoned, but didn’t hang around unless Hisako mentally nagged her. Her feet were getting sore and she wasn’t sure she trusted a lot of skating when the mirrors were so disorienting. She had almost forgotten how bad of a headache it gave her.

Without Inanna’s near-constant presence, the panic was beginning to seep back in. Slowly, but she could tell it was getting worse. They were making good time, weren’t they? The third floor had about as many monsters as usual, hounds and gryphons and matching doctors and nurses from the first floor. Yuri and Hisako both had to drink a vial of the magic water to regain some energy, and she wasn’t sure they were halfway through. No arrows to guide them.

_This is what held us up so long last time_ , she thought when they had to double back for the third time. _We can’t get any bearings in this place_. It was far worse than a normal maze. They could start breaking mirrors, but without Dumuzi, it was an energy expense she wasn’t sure they could afford. _Dumuzi… Is he down here again?_ She looked around guardedly, as if he’d flap down from the ceiling.

Yuri began whistling after a bit. It was a jittery, tuneless thing, and honestly it grated on her nerves a little, but his expression prevented her from saying anything to him. Not Suzuka. “Going to have to ask you to knock that off. You’re making my headache worse.”

“I’m nervous, sue me,” he snapped back.

“Let’s not fight,” Hisako said quickly. “We’re making progress, okay? Yuri-kun, why don’t we just talk for a bit.”

“I really don’t want to,” he said with a pointed look at the glass walls around them.

“Then please, just stay quiet for a little bit. We’re almost through this.”

He laughed. She pursed her lips but wouldn’t get into an argument with him about it. They had to keep moving and avoid fighting amongst themselves. Shadows were only temporary distractions, and only for her and Suzuka; with every hellhound or scantily clad nurse, Yuri seemed to get wound just a little tighter. Hisako didn’t blame him, but she wasn’t sure she could handle him snapping.

“Let’s start breaking walls,” she said after one too many dead ends.

“You sure? It’s hard without your hubby here to blowtorch through stuff for us,” Suzuka said.

“Just one or two. We just need to get to a fresh area.” Hisako walked down to the nearest expanse of mirror and called forth Inanna by scratching open a gash she’d gotten from a canine shadow. Inanna froze the surface, and Hisako swung her staff like a bat. “Come on!”

It was clear neither of her teammates really wanted to try. Suzuka idly threw daggers at it, mostly using it for target practice, and Yuri moodily chipped at the cracks she’d formed with his palette knife. It was going to take far too long. Hisako dragged Inanna back out and pointed at the mirror. Inanna sent over annoyingly gentle skepticism.

“Bufula. Bufu-whatever. Just break it down.”

It drained her more than she’d admit to the others, but with enough force and both Inanna and Enlil pushing on an ice shard, they shattered the mirror.

Beyond it, it was not mirrors and glass. It changed abruptly into smooth, white walls and a single corridor. They stared for a long moment, not processing. “Was that… always there?” Suzuka hesitantly asked.

“I… don’t think so? I’m not sure. The first time, we broke through half the maze.” But the second time, when they had defeated the angel, they had mostly walked through the labyrinth. It had been solid mirrors and glass. Hisako stepped carefully over the broken edges and into the solid area. Already her eyes thanked her. “Come on. Surely this is the way to go.”

“What if the walls try to eat us?” Suzuka asked as she skittered after her. Yuri followed without a word.

“That only happened twice, and it was on the first floor. Some types of shadows seem confined to certain areas,” Hisako answered absently. They edged forward with extra caution. The walls and floor weren’t shiny-smooth, but had a soft, matte finish, and it seemed to muffle any sounds they made. They didn’t hear or see any shadows.

Hisako realized what it was when they came upon a branch in the path. Except it wasn’t a branch, it was a single room, with a frame on the far side. Yuri made an aborted, broken sort of sound. It wasn’t a painting, but a mirror, reflecting the three of them from across the small room.

“It’s normal. I don’t see any monsters waiting to crawl out,” Suzuka said, waving and moving to test the reflection. Hisako stepped closer, grip tightening on her weapon, and couldn’t help but feel like it was _off_ somehow. There was no Velvet Room door behind them, nor extra monsters, and the colors and shapes seemed alright…

When she got close enough, she realized what was off. Everything was exactly the same save for the fact that her reflection had glowing yellow eyes.

She marched back and grabbed Yuri’s hand, dragging him out of the room. “We’re out of here! Suzuka-chan, out!”

“Don’t want to know!” she yelped and rushed after them. They started out at a jog, but the air seemed more and more oppressive the further in they went, and soon, they were running. Her headache was back and Inanna seemed muted in comparison.

They broke into the end area without incident. Yuri and Hisako collapsed into a sweaty, panting heap, and Suzuka doubled over, hands on her knees as she gasped for air. They didn’t talk about the copycat art gallery.

The door to the next level was, of course, open. Hisako took a moment to steel herself, and then led the way downward. It wasn’t a trick of the light, but she could tell for certain that it was getting darker the further down they went. By the time they reached the bottom, even the white walls looked grey, and depth perception was all but out the window.

“We need a fire dude,” Suzuka groaned.

“I brought glowsticks,” Hisako said and shrugged off her backpack. But magic fire would be nice. If everyone Ngeshtin-ana targeted could gain a Persona, it was entirely possible that Mathias could have one. _But Mika-chan didn’t have fire magic. She didn’t have any of ours, either._

Suzuka tied hers around her neck, freeing up her hands, and Hisako tied hers to the knob around the end of her staff. Yuri just shrugged at their expectant looks and held his. “I don’t fight with my hands like you two lunatics,” he told them.

“Someone’s gotta keep the monsters off your ass,” Suzuka muttered.

“Let’s just get going. Be careful,” Hisako said and led the way. Aside from being dimmer, there were no initial noticeable differences. The walls were solid again and there was no storm raging overhead.

They were ambushed after two turns in their chosen path. They had just passed pillars, vaguely Greek, when a buzzing descended upon them. Suzuka screamed first and threw herself to the ground. Hisako whirled around just as Yuri swore. It was pure luck that she batted one out of the air when she flailed with her staff. The shadows were small, about the length of her palm, and looked like little fanged locusts with masks.

Suzuka kept screaming even after they figured out what they were. “Get them off, oh my shit, offoff _off_!”

Yuri summoned Enlil and blew them all down the hallway. Suzuka danced in a circle, shaking her hands, still whining. “Not a bug girl, then?”

“Gross! No! Holy hell, Matt-chan better appreciate this!”

Hisako quickly reached out and picked off a straggler locust that had been on her back. She crunched it under her shoes before Suzuka noticed. “Bugs aren’t great, but if those are the worst things we face, I won’t complain.”

“I will! New rule—I can’t do those things. No way. I _can’t_.”

“They weren’t that hard to handle. Yuri-kun and I can do it,” Hisako said soothingly, despite his eye rolling.

The next shadows they found was a trio of shambling, bipedal, solid black things with claws the size of her forearm. Suzuka missed with three of her throwing knives before she simply sliced open her arm and had Tiamat zap one. Inanna quickly stabbed her staff through it while it was reeling from that. The first of the three went down, but the other two shrieked, almost musically, and it got right back up to its feet.

“Great.”

“We just have to kill them all at once!”

“Easier said than done!”

It took a mixture of Inanna raining icicles and Enlil’s gusting slash attack to get them all down at the same time. Another two vials of tears used up, and after a look at how pale Suzuka was, Hisako made her drink one, too. They had put a serious dent in the ones they’d gathered from Yuri’s floor and earlier.

“I hate those things already,” Suzuka said with a shiver.

Hisako looked up from the pile of goop she was picking through. “I think these are diamonds!” she exclaimed giddily.

“I might hate them a little less.”

They loaded up their pockets with handfuls of small, shiny stones, some of them colored, most of them not. None were bigger than her pinky nail, but they ended up with quite a few, so she hoped they would amount to something.

“Were those pillars there before?” Hisako asked, staring hard down the corridor. Unlike Suzuka’s level, the pillars weren’t spaced evenly apart and didn’t seem to be marking a path (a pity; she could have used some good news).

“I think the better question is—what is _that_.” Yuri shakily pointed down the other hall. The silhouette was humanoid, but shrouded in darkness at that distance.

“It’s not a bug.” Suzuka pulled her glowstick necklace off and tossed it down the hallway. It landed halfway down, illuminating a rumpled school uniform and blond hair. Mathias stared back down the hall at them, hands jammed in his pockets, red eyes reflecting the glow like some sort of animal.

“Mathias-san!” Hisako all but shrieked, running down the hall, Suzuka on her heels with her own shout of joy.

They had just passed the glowstick when they didn’t hit the floor, but splashed into water. Suzuka slipped and fell, and Hisako nearly followed. Mathias, standing calmly on the surface, watched as they stumbled to a halt. He waited until the ripples had died down before stepping carefully over to them. Hisako stood, ankle-deep in freezing water, excitement waning, wondering whether fight or flight was better as he approached.

He stopped just within arm’s reach. Without speaking, he reached down and cupped Hisako’s cheek. She definitely should have chosen flight. Despite the intimacy of the gesture, she felt nothing but fear, and Inanna immediately pushed against her mind, demanding to be let out. Before she could get herself to bleed, Mathias shifted his grip, grabbed a fistful of hair, and threw her over his shoulder.

Hisako landed heavily in water. Coughing, gagging, and rubbing her head, she looked up just in time for two pillars to crawl over and block her off from the rest of the hallway.

-.-.-

“What the hell, man?! We came all this way and you just—”

“To do what?” Mathias asked evenly.

Suzuka couldn’t help her sigh of relief. “Sweet sunshine, thank every god down here that you’re speaking Japanese again.”

“That’s all you wanted from me? A language?” he asked.

Yuri splashed over and dragged Suzuka away from him. Mathias didn’t bat an eye. “We’re here to rescue you, and you just tossed your girlfriend away,” he said, giving the redhead a pointed look.

“I don’t have a lover right now,” he replied disinterestedly. “Certainly not _her_.” It was difficult to tell if it was Mathias or Ngeshtin-ana speaking. His voice was mostly his own, but there was already something else buzzing beneath his words, like it was only a matter of time. “I’m more interested,” he continued in an utterly bored tone, “in why _you_ two are following her scheming. Especially you,” he said, red gaze landing on Suzuka.

“Is this Tiamat or Suzuka Sakuraba?” Yuri asked with a gesture to her.

Mathias, with his first emotional response, spared him the most disdainful look possible. “Why are you asking _me_ that?” Disgust dripped from his decidedly more feminine voice.

Yuri facepalmed at his mistake. Suzuka elbowed him out of the way and took over, and he gladly let her. “What did she promise you? What could she have _possibly_ promised you that you wanted to come down here? You’re an exchange student! You get to see an awesome second culture! You _like_ Hisako-chan! And you’ve been studying for finals like you’re the happiest person on the planet!”

His hand made contact with his forehead again once he saw how Mathias’ eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Suzuka was certain she was about to get taken out by friendly fire rather than the enemy before them.

“You,” he said, drawing the word out, “are a fool. A very blind, willfully ignorant fool. And to think I felt pity for you!”

“Dude, we’re the ones trying to save _you_ , and I’m gonna let the other two do the talking from here on out, but jeez, try to remember that! We’re here for you!” Suzuka exclaimed.

For a moment, it seemed like she had gotten through to him. His eyes widened and some emotion, too fast to identify, flitted across his expression. In the next moment, however, it seemed as if he was readying to attack, teeth bared, body tensing for movement. “I do not suffer fools,” he hissed.

Enlil lunged at him before he had the opportunity to attack. The wind rushed past them with his attack but Mathias ducked neatly underneath his first swing, and sidestepped his backswing. His perfect dodging was creepy enough, but just before he blinked out of the scene, his eye caught Suzuka. His blue eye. And he looked _sad_.

Tiamat pushed so hard against her skull she thought she’d throw up. Suzuka swayed and collapsed to her hands and knees in the shallow water, chest heaving, mind swimming. Yuri stepped closer so that he was again between her and where Mathias had disappeared. “Next time, how about we _don’t_ taunt the magically enhanced classmate,” he suggested. Enlil circled around the empty spot across the corridor from them.

“I wasn’t taunting him,” she mumbled, half ashamed, half stubborn.

“You and I both know that she doesn’t take happy people.”

She sat back on her heels and looked up at his back. It wasn’t like he talked about his own possession often. Or, really, at all. Hisako didn’t understand it exactly. Suzuka didn’t entirely, but seeing Mika and now Mathias helped, a little. It didn’t clear up her own jumbled memories, but it did help to see both sides.

Yuri abruptly sunk into a crouch, hands twisting into his dark hair, most of it undone from the hair tie. “Why _are_ we here,” he groaned.

“We’re saving Matt-chan,” Suzuka answered automatically.

“Fujihara is the one who talks. She’s the muscle. She’s the one with the Velvet Room and magic husband and she had a Persona first.” He looked (and sounded) absolutely miserable. Suzuka awkwardly patted him on the shoulder, and he didn’t shy from her, but he did tense at her touch. “Why are _we_ here, Sakuraba? Do you know?”

“I want to save him. And I want to help in any way I can.” She shuffled over to him, sloshing more water up over their legs, and put her arm over his shoulders. He was so tense he was practically vibrating, but she didn’t know how else to comfort people.

Yuri gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, vaguely disapproving in a way she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Since when were boys the complicated ones? He glanced away again before she could try to intimidate him into spilling. She wasn’t as good at it as Hisako or Shunya, and part of that was a lack of familiarity and comfort, but she liked to think she made up for it with sheer shamelessness. Usually. “Let’s get going, then,” Yuri said in a tired voice. 

-.-.-

The water was steadily getting deeper. She had to figure that that meant she was headed in the right direction. Hisako had taken off her shoes and socks and wrung out the latter as best she could. That would teach her to actually remember to wear socks, but with so much walking in Irkalla, she knew she’d have blisters in no time. She felt a little better barefoot in the water.

By the time it was knee-deep, she could feel a gentle current. That was far easier to follow than trying to figure out if it was getting deeper or not, but it had her worried. Why was there a _current_? In fact, why was there water at all? They had yet to see any evidence of water magic.

The shadows had as much difficulty moving in the water as she did, which was about the only reassurance she had. She felt isolated, and not just because she was alone; Mathias had purposefully separated her from the other two. He hadn’t wanted to speak with her. It was silly of her, she knew, but he had literally thrown her away. She was entitled to a little bit of heartache. Even while possessed, she didn’t think people exactly lied.

When the water was soaking her dress and the shorts underneath, Hisako had to admit defeat. The current was incredibly useful for figuring out where to go, but it was getting strong enough to be worrying, and she couldn’t _swim_ all the way to him. She hoped the other two were alright. Hisako summoned Inanna, charged her staff, and froze a small ice-boat for herself. It was a lot easier to freeze water than create it, and she ended up with a sizeable raft. The water itself wasn’t warm, but the ice felt reassuring to the touch.

She stabilized herself, used her staff as a guide, and tried to steer away from splashing and drowning shadows.

“Inanna, what if we lose Mathias-san, too?” Hisako asked in a small voice.

Her Persona’s mouth pressed down into a thin line, and she sent a small, awkward tendril of comfort across their connection. It was a pretty terrible attempt.

“You were so interested in him earlier, when you first found out I had a crush on him. Was it—It was because you’re a goddess of love, isn’t it?”

That reaction was more genuine, a little bubble of earnest happiness.

“What do you think of all this? You have opinions, kind of, and this must be like a reunion with your old family. What do you think of the fact that your sister-in-law is trying to kidnap my crush?” Hisako asked.

Inanna slowed, chewing on her lip for a moment, and then vanished. She hadn’t felt any emotional response.

“Of course,” Hisako said and sighed.

After awhile, just as the cold started to actually affect her and seep into her skin, Hisako realized she heard something. A dull, even roar, not like shadows or fighting, in the distance. It echoed strangely around the walls, throwing off her sense of where it was coming from, and she figured it was a little louder than it probably was because of it. It sounded almost like thunder, but continuous.

Then, she heard real thunder. Hisako wobbled on her icy raft, throwing out her staff to try to turn herself around, and nearly fell face-first into the water when the stick didn’t hit the bottom. “Heeeey!” she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

A swarm of locusts with a butterfly answered her. Hisako batted them into the water, which worked just as well as summoning Inanna, since her Persona seemed to be sulking. She cast a bufu spell to take care of the butterfly and smacked as many of the smaller bugs as she could. Two of the tiny locusts fled from her when the rest of their group disappeared into the dark water. She groaned when she spotted something glimmering get lost in the water as the shadow died.

“Hey! Can anyone hear me?!” she tried again, yelling as loudly as she could.

That time, she heard a distant, wordless answer. It was undeniably human. They alternated shouting at each other, and Hisako tried to steer her way down paths that would lead her closer. It was easier said than done. Her only real method of movement aside from the current was pushing off from walls. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how deep the water had become, and she felt a sudden stab of fear when she wondered how her friends were dealing with the water.

The even thunder was steadily getting closer, too. It didn’t quite sound like a fire, and definitely not a storm. The current was picking up, however, and she had to focus on steering. But it wasn’t long before they figured out that a single wall separated them. “Are you guys alright?!” she shouted, voice hoarse.

“We’re fine! It looks like these paths will meet up if we follow the water!” Yuri’s response was muffled, making her wonder how thick the walls were.

“But ours is twisting away!” Suzuka said quickly, voice already growing fainter.

“Just keep following the water! Be careful!” She hoped they had heard her. She thought she heard some sort of reply, but the roaring was getting louder, and it was very disorienting. But there were less shadows as she went on, she’d noticed. Less could handle the water and its current, but even fewer of the flying types.

Her heart leaped for joy when she broke into a wide, open area. Even with the dim lighting and the dark water covering the floor, it was hard to mistake the lack of white walls everywhere. She almost sobbed with relief.

But she really shouldn’t have been surprised at her second realization. All of the water had to go somewhere, and in the gloom, it had taken her a couple moments to realize that it wasn’t just black water in front of her: it was a hole. The sound had been a waterfall.

The current had sped up, and before she knew it, Hisako was halfway out to falling to her death. On reflex, she turned and threw herself back towards the maze, swiping downward with her staff. A jagged spear of ice followed her movement. For a terrifying moment, before she hit it, she was worried it’d get swept away, too. But it connected to the bottom, and the water wasn’t enough to dislodge it, and Hisako smacked onto it just as her raft fell over the edge behind her.

She crawled up to the top of the ice, careful to keep her grip, glad for her bare feet. She found a place she could sit, legs wrapped around it but able to lean against it for a rest to calm her racing heart. That could have been a very stupid death.

Hisako looked down at the big stick in her lap as her heart rate slowed back to normal.

There hadn’t been a bufu spell charged in it.

“Hisako-chan!” Suzuka’s ecstatic shout made her jump and nearly lose her grasp. She looked up and found Suzuka, riding Tiamat, slither out of one of the other corridors. Yuri, in Enlil’s arms, soon followed. “Oh shit, are you okay?! Is that—a _waterfall_? Where the hell is the floor?”

“I’m fine!” she called back, sagging with relief against her icicle. They were safe and smart enough to avoid the water. As they floated over, her unease sprouted right back up; Tiamat was unsteady in the air and Yuri wiped at his face. He couldn’t hide the red smear completely. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” he muttered. “Just a bunch of shadows and our Personas are still acting weird. It’s been tough to keep them out, that’s all.”

“Inanna’s been acting sort of anxious, too.” What had them all acting so spooked? What, precisely, was new? All she could think of was when Mathias had started speaking in Sumerian earlier. Ngeshtin-ana had said _something_ to them, surely.

“Let’s figure out what’s up with them after we rescue Matt-chan. What are we gonna do about that?” Suzuka said, gesturing with both hands to the gaping hole in the floor. That was normally where they found the victim… But now that she squinted across the area, she didn’t see any doors on the opposite side. She looked down again.

“Can you use an electric spell down there to light it up?” Hisako asked, and Suzuka nodded. The flash of lightning only confirmed that the water was falling from the opposite side, too. From their angle, they couldn’t see very far down, but the end was beyond what they could see. Their Personas couldn’t really fly, only float a bit above the ground, and she didn’t want to jump down there and hope for the best. Scratching along her arm, Hisako summoned Inanna again, despite her Persona’s uneasiness. “We’re going to make a bridge down there. Or, uh, maybe it’ll end up being a slide. I hope not—but we have to get down there!”

Suzuka saluted with a bark of, “Roger!”

Yuri looked ill. “What if it’s flooded down there?”

“Mathias-san is still human, and humans can’t breathe underwater. Dumuzi’s sister didn’t bring him down here just to drown him,” Hisako said. But she suddenly worried about spite. “There’s already a hole in the floor, s-so I’m sure there’s some way of it draining.”

“What choice do we have? We have to do this!” Suzuka exclaimed.

“Um, right. So, Yuri-kun, if you could please have Enlil help me by splashing out water once we get out there…”

It was sort of like building a sandcastle, she told herself. A little. A very small amount. The ice magic took to the water easily, and with only one spell, they had a platform jutting off from her icicle that was thick enough to support all three of them. Tiamat vanished with Suzuka’s relieved huff. Enlil would send great splashes towards them, and Inanna froze them in midair, connecting their little bridge. The good news was that it wasn’t nearly as slippery as Hisako had been fearing. The bad news was that the surface could hardly be called flat.

Soon, they were out over the hole in the floor, already lower than the top of the waterfall ringing them. They were coated in little droplets of water, which did make things slick, but it wasn’t until Suzuka fell that Hisako panicked. The redhead slipped down, just a little, but nudged Yuri, who slid down until he hit Hisako. She dug her fingers into the ice and held on. They all didn’t fall, but the ice bridge wiggled slightly, and she could feel him trembling against her.

“We should probably hurry,” Suzuka called in a high, strained voice.

They still couldn’t see the bottom beneath them. Inanna had to hover over the bridge with them, and Enlil was above her, using gusts of wind to gather more water for them. “...We don’t need him anymore,” Hisako told Yuri. “He’s just making this more slippery. Inanna and I can handle it from here.”

They alternated casting ice spells. She had nearly forgotten how taxing it was to create ice from nothing, but she had never tried making that much. She usually had to layer it on top of Inanna’s spells to get it anywhere near the thickness that would support them. It was getting darker as they progressed, too, their only light being mostly-dead glowsticks and the flare of bufu magic.

She could definitely see Suzuka and Yuri shivering above her. She didn’t quite feel cold yet, but she did feel exhausted—and Hisako realized she couldn’t feel her fingers or toes, and hadn’t for awhile. She sniffled and cast another spell.

The chunk of ice underneath her foot broke without warning. Hisako only had time to let out half a scream before she fell—and before Suzuka threw herself off of the ice above her to catch her. Yuri somehow managed to catch her ankle. Hisako hung like a pendulum, gently swinging, clutching Suzuka’s freezing hands.

Then, the ice above them cracked. Yuri hissed in a breath and Hisako tried to swing over to get purchase to help relieve the weight, but all the movement did was send their terribly thought out plan crashing down literally around their ears. Inanna shrieked in her mind and Hisako saw her try to reach out for her before falling herself.

Something flashed and someone summoned a Persona, but that was the last thing she saw before they hit the ground.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Studious

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+0)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Affable

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Commiserative


	20. Diarama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a married couple reunites and a transfer is crowned.

"Get up, get up get up get up! _Please_!"

Hisako awoke to the twin sensations of feeling uncomfortably wet and being manhandled. She didn't, however, have the time to be upset with either before she pain set in. She gritted her teeth and bent over, but that made her chest hurt in a way that took her breath away. She uncurled and tried to breathe, forcing herself to ignore her leg, and cracked open an eye. Compartmentalization and explanations—that was what she needed.

Yuri leaned over her, eyes wet, and didn't look at all happy to see her awake. "Fujihara, we have to move. I have to move you."

Hisako groaned out a faint reply. It felt like a reply. It was about the best she could do. He read it as agreement, and she felt his arms come up under hers and drag her through the shallow water. She resisted the urge to scream. Being forced up into a half-sitting position, however, let her see things a little better.

Her leg should not have been twisted like that. It was covered in an ugly mix of red and pale green. There was a faint patch of light from above beyond that, huge pieces of ice littered around it, glittering innocently. Hisako whined when Yuri shifted his grip on her, and he mumbled something half-apologetic, but he still radiated urgency. "Suzu…?" she said thickly, and then coughed. Her ribs protested every breath, but talking especially.

"She's okay—she's alive."

_How far did we fall?_ She was glad to see Yuri was at least walking, and she spotted Enlil out of the corner of her eye, his back to them. Hisako felt around in her mind and found Inanna curled up in a quiet corner. She didn't have to pick at any scabs to let her out. Inanna frowned over them, but whirled around a moment later at an unseen threat. Hisako's eyes widened when she felt her Persona's anger. "Where—?"

"He hasn't done anything yet other than trade insults with Sakuraba, but his hair's going black and we need you to talk to him," Yuri said quickly, soothingly. He lowered her again onto what felt like his backpack, and they both looked down at her leg. "Well, I-I healed your arm once, right?" he said. She could see the paint from where he'd already tried, but she nodded.

"What are you going to do to _me_ , bleed on me?" came a feminine voice that did not belong to Suzuka. Hisako blinked back tears at the sound.

"More than you've done so far!" Suzuka shouted back, an uncharacteristic bite to her words. "Some god you're turning out to be, Matt-ana! We did more damage to ourselves than you've done!"

"Every time I think I've reached the end of your stupidity, you surprise me with new depths! No _wonder_ you're blindly following her! It all makes sense now!"

"You have your work cut out for you," Yuri said flatly, sounding a little more normal. He shuffled around to her side, looking at her leg with uncertainty.

"Do what you have to," Hisako told him in a shaking voice and pulled her shirt up to bite on.

His eyes widened in alarm at that. "I'm not performing surgery on you!"

"Oh, is the queen finally awake again?" Mathias asked with Ngeshtin-ana's voice. Hisako half-wished she could see him, but she knew it wouldn't help right then. "Is she done sending others to do her work for her?"

Inanna bared her teeth in a silent snarl above her. "Don't bother attacking him right now," Yuri said. "You'll just waste your energy."

"He can dodge _everything_ ," Suzuka said darkly, from somewhere behind her head. "But he hasn't been attacking us, either. We figure the sister bitch is just biding her time. We can't do anything to him—or her, whatever—right now, so she's going to wait us out."

"But whenever we do anything except argue with him, he just moves away and doesn't listen. This place is too large. We have to pin him," Yuri added. Hisako nodded in agreement and then screamed into her shirt when he suddenly pressed his hands down on her leg. "Sorry! I thought that would distract you!"

"Well don't stop halfway through, mister medic!" Suzuka snapped at him.

He narrowed his eyes and Hisako thought she'd pass out again when he somehow twisted her leg back into something more normal. Enlil came over at his silent beckon and practically dumped paint on her with how much his paintbrush dripped. She felt a little better, but after a few moments, it became apparent that it was only going to do so much. She peeked down at her leg. No more twist, no horrible open wounds, and very thoroughly mint green.

"What can you do for ribs?" she rasped.

Enlil swiped over her chest, but if it helped, she couldn't tell. She went as far as licking it off her arm. Yuri was noticeably paler, even in the gloom, so she sat up though it made her want to cry.

"You sit down. Suzuka-chan and I will handle this."

He didn't argue the point and all but collapsed. "We tried herding him into Tiamat's attacks with Enlil's wind magic," he said quietly, scrubbing a hand over his face. Enlil vanished behind him. "But it didn't work. Maybe you and Inanna could…"

"We'll do something," she promised, and, with a wince and a bit-back whine, managed to get up on her feet. Suzuka was standing, too, but she cradled her arm in a way that said nothing good.

"It's not my throwing arm," she joked and rolled her good shoulder. She nodded over to Yuri. "We broke his fall, so don't feel too sorry for him."

"Isn't it terrible?" Mathias interrupted. He stood, not that far away, his frame tense with his arms held stiffly at his sides. His red eyes nearly glowed in the weak light. She hoped they didn't actually glow.

"What is?" Hisako asked, cautious. Avoiding a fight sounded like the best plan, considering they were all exceptionally easy targets, but they couldn't afford to let Ngeshtin-ana win, no matter what. She told herself that it was time to be professional about it. Talk him down and get a Persona manifested.

"A decision taken from you," he replied.

"It was an accident. Our way down broke and—"

"And would you have subjected yourself to such injuries willingly? I thought you were the leader of this."

"It was an accident," Hisako repeated in frustration. "And I'm glad it happened that way. Yuri-kun has healing magic, so I'm glad he wasn't as hurt."

"Did he want to be?" Mathias asked softly.

Both girls froze. Yuri didn't answer him.

"All I want," the blond said, eyes glinting, "is autonomy. Is that wrong?"

"You can't control _everything_! And you're brainwashing our friend to get that!" Suzuka broke in. Hisako raised her arm to keep her from continuing the argument. They had a formula. They were experienced. They just had to follow it and save him.

She took a shaky step toward him. Her legs nearly buckled. Mathias took a matching step backward, so she stopped her advance. Her throat felt raw and her chest ached, but in the strongest voice she could muster, she told him, "Accidents happen. And sometimes, we have to do things we don't want to. It's the responsible thing to do, or we do it for other people."

He laughed without humor. "I don't know who to talk to here," he said, looking between the girls.

Inanna charged at him. Mathias, with the absolute minimum amount of necessary movement, ducked under her swing and stepped out of the way as she overstepped past him. He ducked under a bolt of lightning, tilted his head out of the way of Inanna's bufula, and looked utterly bored as he dodged a snap of Tiamat's jaws.

Hisako, panting, reined Inanna back. She was exhausted and it hurt to breathe, and more energy spent wasn't helping matters. Suzuka seemed to be in a similar state. "Inanna, I want to _talk_ to him," she murmured, patting her Persona's boot. Inanna huffed, put her nose in the air, and disappeared. Hisako rubbed at her temples. She had a growing headache on top of growing panic on top of being on the verge of tears. But she steeled herself and forced out a calm voice, "Mathias-san, why don't you tell me what you're trying to do here?"

"What I want," he replied and shrugged. He paced in front of them, and added, "It's not even a concrete desire. I think that makes it all easier."

"What do you want?"

"I'm not sure myself. I've already learned quite a bit. But wouldn't it be wonderful, to choose it for myself?" He smiled at them both, sunny and a little crooked, eyes crinkled at the corners, looking exactly normal. Her heart seized and a traitorous tear slid down her cheek.

Tiamat lashed out at him with her tail. He jumped over it, smile gone when he landed again. "Tiamat, stop that! We need to talk to him! You've been behaving so stupidly, and I don't want your crap right now!" Suzuka complained, sounding close to angry tears herself.

"What did you say, earlier today? What did you say to get our Personas so worried?" Hisako asked.

He laughed again, and Ngeshtin-ana's laugh sounded downright musical that time. "I only asked if they were worried. _Šag dab_ , Inanna? Worried she will win?"

Inanna's fear was potent in her brain andjust as she started fully crying from it, she felt blood dribble down her chin. She spat out a mouthful, tilted her head back, trying to blink past the tears and stop the nosebleed, and gasped out, "I don't know why you're upsetting them, but you have to stop!"

"But this is so much fun," he replied. She could hear the grin back in his voice. Hisako struggled to summon Inanna again, who fought against her, almost as strongly as she did in the Velvet Room. Mathias added, "It's freeing to not have to act nice, isn't it? Inanna?"

"My name is Hisako!" she snapped, jerking her head back down to glare, despite the fresh surge of tears. "And you _know_ that! You're our classmate, not the one in charge of this place! You're no more choosing this than I chose to break my leg!"

She had desperately hoped that that would've been enough to jar him long enough for someone to hit him. But Mathias smoothly dodged another lunge by Tiamat, two of Suzuka's daggers, and sauntered right over to Hisako. He stayed exactly out of arm's reach. "You're almost as foolish as she is," he said, nodding towards Suzuka, who threw another knife at him. He ducked and it narrowly missed Hisako.

"Why are you picking on her so much? I-I know you're smart, but you're not mean about it."

"She's an easy target, and I risk less by pissing her off," he admitted. For a brief moment, Inanna's fear abated, replaced by fury. Mathias leaned in, red eyes bright, and the fright returned. "But you're making this easy, too."

"Why?" she asked and somehow managed to resist the urge to flee from him. Inanna's emotions were mixing too strongly with her own and she was starting to worry that she wouldn't be able to pull away long enough to save him. But she couldn't, she _had_ to—

"I chose this fate of my own free will," Mathias said, and Hisako froze. Inanna fell silent under her own horror. There was no possible way he knew about the Velvet Room or the contract—Mathias leapt back and Hisako was suddenly pushed face-first to the ground by a gust. "Oh, stopped feeling sorry for yourself?" he called.

"Sorry, I thought I could get him if I aimed at you both," Yuri said, coming up behind her. He extended a hand down to help her up. "And I saw you start to freak out, so…"

"He—it had to have been a coincidence. But we have to—" She sniffed and wiped her nose, grimacing when she saw that it was _still_ bleeding. "We have to pin him. Enlil's wind may be our best shot."

"Pin me? But sweetie, we haven't even kissed yet! Inanna, for _shame_!" Mathias shouted and despite herself, she felt her cheeks warm.

"At least he's still mostly self-aware," Yuri remarked.

"But she's toying with us. I think that she… well, learned. From Mika-chan. She learned she can buy time if she lets our own problems stop us from communicating. Maybe?" Hisako said timidly.

"You just don't want to admit that that's still mostly _him_ yelling at you," he growled and pushed past her. She probably deserved a little bit of his ire for that. The worst part was that she didn't know which of them was right. "Enlil, we're going to push him towards Tiamat. Any means necessary. Oi, Sakuraba!"

" _What_ ," she snarled.

"Go wild on him," he said with a wave of his hands.

"Aren't I supposed to be the leader?" Hisako had to ask.

"You are, as always, in charge of talking. You're not allowed within a three meter radius of him until you get Inanna back out, though." Yuri paused, giving her a look up and down, and then clapped her on the shoulder. She felt his hand trembling through her shirt. "This is still your plan. But we need to force him to listen, and that involves knocking him off balance before you swoop in with true love's kiss or therapy talking or whatever."

"Do you think that'd work?" she asked, just to see how alarmed he became.

"Oh my god. Please don't—"

"It was a joke. Don't you have an exchange student to be chasing?"

He was right. Mostly. They had to figure out a way to shock him, and that wasn't working when he held the upper hand. It was unnerving, how easily he was reading their attacks, and Inanna was making her panic worse. Hisako took a deep breath and sat down. She could only feel relief at getting weight off her leg.

She mentally prodded at Inanna's cowering presence as she watched Enlil cast wind spells like nets. Tiamat used her bulk to try to corral him, and Suzuka was more than happy to get in on the fighting too, throwing daggers and darting across the area to retrieve them. At least she was forcing him to keep moving. Mathias knew enough not to get stuck near any walls, so it wasn't long before he slid under Tiamat's belly and began leading them back towards Hisako.

_Come on, Inanna. He's coming back. What are you scared of?_ Hisako thought. She touched her fingers, again, to her lips. Her nose had stopped bleeding. _There's plenty of blood here for you to come through._ What _are you so worried about that you're scared of her for the first time? Why_ now _?_

Inanna hadn't acted particularly shaken by Mika's death, not like they were. She had been acting normally up until Ngeshtin-ana was back in the picture, but it hadn't gotten worse until he'd spoken in Sumerian to them. A language that the girls didn't know, so it was clearly meant for just their Personas, which didn't exactly make sense, since their Personas weren't independent deities like she or Dumuzi were. Hisako _really_ hoped they weren't caught in some sort of reincarnation cycle.

Mathias was nearly upon her when Inanna resurfaced with one last outpouring of alarm. She appeared in front of Hisako, arms folded, and Mathias skidded to a stop. "Going to act on your own now?" he asked.

Hisako rubbed at her temples. Definite headache now. "We're a team. We're allowed to tag in and out if it helps with our strategy."

"Oh, you have a strategy? Do tell," he eagerly asked. His hair was nearly black and his voice was mostly solid as Ngeshtin-ana's. They were running out of time and they had yet to hit him once.

"I'm still trying to figure out what _your_ strategy is, I'll admit. You've been trying to alienate our Personas from us, but it's not as if you needed the upper hand on them. And you're perfectly fine talking to us—you're actually very chatty."

"It's _so nice_ to be able to speak freely," he said and sighed dreamily, voice dipping into lower, more masculine registers for a moment. When he spoke again, it was back in her voice, however. "And that's what I'm here to do. Psychological warfare, isn't it? The concept itself isn't new to me, but it's been awhile since I've been able to use it like this."

"And you're trying to keep us guessing on _who_ is talking," Hisako continued, gaining confidence. His eyes narrowed, just a fraction, but she saw it. "You've figured out how to press some of our buttons and then got lucky with Mathias-san himself. You've got the Personas cowed, but you're not _quite_ figuring out how to get _us_."

"Oh, so you _can_ think for yourself," he replied, grinning again, but he sounded far less amused than before. "What does all of this accomplish for you? I'm still winning, dear Inanna. He's still mine."

"I'm still working on that part," Hisako said and she heard Yuri's frustrated groan from there. Referring to Mathias as another person was one of the last markers they knew before they lost. They couldn't lose again.

"You know what the best part about this is?" Mathias purred, crouching down so they were closer to eye-level. He paid no mind to Inanna right in front of him. "He chose this. This poor child, so eager for a taste of independence, was the simplest to persuade to trade. He had no idea _what_ he wanted from me. He just wanted the opportunity to choose."

"You don't get to choose something like that! And it was a terrible decision so—so I'm taking that away from him and I don't _care_ if he doesn't like it!" Hisako burst out.

And it was enough. Mathias startled, balance slipping momentarily, and the hilt of a dagger collided with the back of his head. He fell over with a curse. Suzuka whooped in success and Yuri groaned again. Mathias grabbed the dagger from where it clattered to the ground and glowered at Hisako. "You think that was enough to—"

Tiamat's lightning made contact with the metal blade and Hisako scrambled away from the electricity. The boy collapsed after the attack. She started forward, worried, but with a weak wheeze, he rolled himself over onto his back. His eyes were clear blue and there was blood running out his nose. Inanna scooped Hisako up under an arm and they fled the immediate vicinity just as he let out a hoarse scream and the blood started flowing upward.

After a bright flash, a figure floated over Mathias. It didn't stand, but instead reclined in the air, stretching out long, inhuman legs. Hisako's first thought was _mermaid?_ , but that wasn't accurate; from the waist down, it was covered in scales, down to its long, broad tail. Its hind legs were reptilian, but its flattened tail, hide notwithstanding, looked more like a beaver's.

Its head, torso, and arms were mostly humanoid, though, and male. Mathias stirred, reaching one arm up to him, and his Persona smiled with sharp fangs and reached back down—into his chest. The beastlike figure pulled Ngeshtin-ana out with a flourish.

Hisako rushed at Mathias and threw herself onto him with a mixture of a sob and a laugh. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and peeked up from his shoulder. Suzuka was not headed toward them, but made a beeline for Ngeshtin-ana.

"Holy mother of Christ, the hell just happened?" Mathias muttered, and Hisako buried her face into the space between his neck and shoulder with a squeal. He was still alive, and he was conscious, and he was talking. He was _alive_. "Hisako? Uh, wait—Hisako-san, what happened?"

"You're okay!" she cried into his shirt. "You're okay, you're _okay_ , we did it!"

"This is a weird ass dream," he said, sighed, and wrapped his arms around her.

A flare of heat behind them broke her out of her relief. Hisako wiped at her eyes and turned around, already knowing what had happened judging from the happy feelings from Inanna. Dumuzi stood between Suzuka and Ngeshtin-ana.

"I will take my sister from here," he told them.

"Like hell you are!" Suzuka snapped back and Tiamat threw herself at him.

"Oh my god, no—you, wait here, okay? You're safe now," Hisako said and pulled away from Mathias. She managed to take one whole step before falling over onto her bad leg.

"You're hurt!" he said, sounding both alarmed and confused.

"Inanna, help Tiamat! Get the sister!"

"How long do you think he's been waiting in the wings?" Yuri asked as he jogged over. He gave Mathias one look before dismissing him again.

"If he tries to stop us again, we're going through him," she hissed through grit teeth. She wasn't standing again on her own. She flailed, reaching for his hand, but Yuri stepped out of her reach.

"You're staying put. Inanna can move and that's all we need." He dodged her second grab and managed to drag her staff away from her with his foot. He twirled it a couple times in his hands. "Stay here and play nurse."

"That is _mine_ and this is still an emergency!"

With another burst of heat, a pang of loss from Inanna, and an outraged howl from Suzuka, Dumuzi disappeared as abruptly as he'd appeared. Hisako twisted, ignoring the pain in her chest as she did so, to confirm her fears; he had taken Ngeshtin-ana with him.

Yuri sighed, long and tired. "That may have been the best outcome," he confessed after a beat.

Hisako yanked her staff away from him, but she'd been unaware how heavily he'd been leaning on it. He fell with a yelp. She struggled not to feel too much sympathy for him. "Don't say that when she got away _again_." _And don't say that when she's the one who caused Mika's death_ , she wanted to add, but she couldn't be that cruel.

"We were exhausted and hurt and you and I can hardly move. I'm fairly certain Sakuraba is running purely on spite."

"And rage," Mathias chimed in at another wordless shout from Suzuka.

Yuri raised his head to look at him, expression impassive. "And now there's you."

"And now there's the fact that we are _discussing_ that you tried to leave me behind when you admitted that you couldn't have fought," Hisako snapped, and she would have hit him if she weren't so uncertain where his injuries were. "You can't just do that!"

"Inanna would be all but useless anyway with Dumuzi around."

"She is _not_ the one in charge."

"She is weak to fire magic!"

"He has a point," Mathias agreed.

"You aren't in this conversation yet!" Yuri retorted. He instantly dropped his anger, however, and rolled onto his other side, curling away from the other boy. Mathias gave Hisako a questioning look, but she couldn't answer it. She placed a hand gently on Yuri's shoulder and he thankfully didn't shy from her touch. So quietly she wasn't sure she heard him, Yuri asked, "Why did we get to _him_ in time?"

"Um, I'm sure you're very confused right now, but could you give us some space? We, ah, can't really walk right now, and you can, and I'm sure Suzuka-chan would talk to you…" Hisako asked Mathias, and he nodded at once.

He all but ran away from them, and after a moment, they heard a shouted, "Suzuka-chaaaaaan!"

"Matt-chan!" came the squealed response. Suzuka leapt at him, Tiamat disappearing, and he caught her in his arms with a laugh. Hisako turned back to Yuri and gave his shoulder the tiniest of squeezes.

"I didn't mean that," he said in a small voice.

"I know you didn't," she replied, just as softly, even though she could hear the other two chattering just a little bit off.

"I'm tired, and sore, and he was—god, Enlil was just about to make me sick with how he was thrashing around in my brain. He's never behaved like that before. They were so nervous about facing Poirier—can we trust him?" Right on the heels of an apologetic tone, no less. She tried not to hold it against him.

"We've all said some things—"

"Don't 'we' right now. Please don't, not now," he harshly cut in.

"...Alright, well, Dumuzi's sister was responsible for this. She always is, and was, and next time, we're going to beat her and Dumuzi. Inanna be damned." Her Persona huffed and disappeared. Yuri rolled onto his back, peered up at her through his long bangs, and she was relieved to see that his eyes were dry.

"What about Sakuraba?" he asked.

"What about her?"

"She needs to calm down a little. She's starting to scare me more than the shadows down here, and she's going to get seriously hurt—okay, worse than she has—if she stays out for blood like she has been. But I'm going to let that be a girl talk between you, because right now I feel like absolute crap and I wish we had more beer." He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. He scowled at the tangles, but Hisako pulled his hand away before he could start pulling.

Carding her own fingers through his dark hair, she told him, "I'll talk to her about it. I hadn't thought it'd gotten that bad." More accurately, she thought it had been resolved after their last talk, but she supposed Ngeshtin-ana was a special case. "Give me your band. And don't become an alcoholic."

She retied his hair for him with a beam. He grunted and poked at it, then without warning, yelled, "Sakuraba! You got any more alcohol?"

"Not with me but at my house!" she shouted back.

"We are not drinking again!" Hisako commanded, and with Yuri's help, got back to her feet again. Her weapon turned into her walking stick. Mathias and Suzuka were circling around each other's Personas with matching expressions of awe and delight. Hisako's heart did a funny little flip at the sight. And she had been doing so well with the jealousy thing.

"Hisako-san! Are you alright?" Mathias asked, brightening at her arrival.

"No, wait, show her the thing," Suzuka whispered and elbowed him.

"What am I supposed to say?"

"Anything, dude!"

"Glad to see you're in better spirits," Yuri drawled, and Suzuka stuck her tongue out at him.

"Be nice to me if you want to get invited to the after-party."

"What were you going to show me?" Hisako wearily asked. She didn't want to think about more alcohol and celebrating, especially since it felt so jarring after their last rescue mission.

"Uhh—" Pink rose on his cheeks as he cast about for a topic, and she smiled despite herself. "The quick brown fox jumped over the white shiba inu? I really don't know what the hell I'm supposed to say here—wait, shit, you can understand me now—um, m-my name is Mathias Samuel Poirier, my birthday is on February twelfth, blood type AB, I was born in Surrey…"

As he rambled on, Hisako noticed something strange. She was tired, and the lighting was bad. Still, she leaned in and squinted at him, trying to process what she was seeing. His mouth wasn't matching the words she was hearing.

"...and I'm speaking French right now," Mathias finished.

"It's like an old, bad dub!" Suzuka gushed, hanging onto his arm. "His Persona is translating him! It's already hilarious to listen to him talk now that we can hear what all his little asides are!"

"It's not that funny," he muttered and tried to free his arm. She clung stubbornly with another rush of giggles.

"Your way of talking is totally different and you don't have an accent anymore."

"I'm _speaking_ another language." With a wave of his hand, the clear blue Persona above him vanished. Mathias paused nervously at their expectant looks. "Um. _Je sais pas, que dois-je dire_?"

"Isn't this great?" Suzuka said with a wide grin.

" _Super. Antéka_ ," he said, frowning at her enthusiasm, "How do I get him out again?"

When the girls exchanged a glance, Yuri answered, "You get to bleed. It's not hard down here."

"...Ah," Mathias replied. "How much?"

"Not that much! Just a, um, couple drops? About?" Hisako said quickly.

He took the palette knife Yuri offered, despite her fretting, and examined it with another frown. Suzuka handed him one of her daggers instead and his frown deepened. But with a sigh, he sliced open his thumb. He hissed and stuck it in his mouth at once, but his Persona broke out again above him, shimmering faintly. "His name is Apsu, by the way. He feels really weird."

"You get used to it," Yuri said. He summoned Enlil again with a wince, and then jerked his thumb back toward the cloaked silhouette. "Enlil."

"And Inanna and Tiamat, got it," Mathias said happily, pointing to each of the girls in turn. Yuri gave Hisako a questioning look; she hadn't introduced them, but she supposed she'd said her name before. Apsu somersaulted through the air, flicked his tail at Tiamat, and then covered Mathias' eyes with his hands. He only had three fingers on each, with webbing in between and each digit ending in sharp claws. Maybe he wasn't as humanoid as she'd initially thought. Apsu leaned in close, four empty eyes crinkling as he grinned slyly, and whispered mutely into Mathias' ear.

Mathias turned his head, looking between Enlil and Tiamat, his Persona's hands following his movement. They couldn't really make out his expression aside from a thoughtful twist of his mouth. Hisako cocked her head to the side, curious but mostly just confused, and Suzuka prodded Tiamat with the handle of a dagger. "How come _you_ don't talk to me, huh?"

"He's not really talking, or at least he's not making sounds. It's all mental, I suppose, but Christ, he's sure sitting heavy in my mind," Mathias replied absently. He turned toward Hisako last, and she really wished she knew what he was thinking. "Okay, I think I got it! You'll have to walk me through some of the technical things, but I have nothing but faith in my learning curve."

"You… got what?" Yuri asked with enough wariness that it set her on edge as well.

"It's elemental, mostly, right? Bufu, garu, zio, and give me just a little while to figure out the supportive skills, those whispers aren't making as much sense." He pointed to each of them in turn again. When Apsu removed his hands, moving them to his shoulders, Mathias was beaming at them. His Persona ruined it the earnest image with his narrowed eyes and smug smirk.

"Is that what they're called?" Suzuka asked, looking at the other two. They gave her matching shrugs. Dumuzi had given her a rundown, but Hisako had never been able to remember anything but the ice magic names. "Y'know, Matt-chan, I have to say, you're really taking this well. I know we didn't really have a _fight_ so you must not be too tired—"

"That's because you couldn't hit me," he replied, still smiling, and he turned his head up to study Tiamat again.

"—but we normally expect a few more explanations about the giant people with bonus snakey dragon on our part," she finished, grin a little more strained that it had been earlier.

"You called them Personas. What else is there to know?"

"You're taking this suspiciously well," Yuri pointed out.

"Apsu told me the rest of the jargon." He looked at them again, eyes wide, apparently catching onto the fact that his experience was far different from theirs. "Yours can't do that, can they?"

"Uh, no—"

"I get to be a radar!" Mathias cheered unexpectedly, making Suzuka jump. He pumped his fists in the air, dislodging Apsu, and gave a whoop.

"I don't like that he knows more than us," Yuri whispered in her ear.

"He's on our side," Hisako whispered back.

"Enlil's wary of his Persona, too," he added, sounding more petulant than normal, which was something in itself.

"This is perfect! I'll get to know everything! This is much better than what Ngeshtin-ana promised me!" Mathias said and high-fived his Persona, utterly oblivious to the way the other three tensed up.

Hisako stumbled forward at Yuri's hard prod. "You… remember her?" she asked cautiously.

"I do," Mathias said, elated expression fading fast. "I'm an outlier, aren't I?"

"This is useful!" she said quickly, hands up in a placating gesture. He was frowning again, looking especially like a sad puppy, and her heart twisted in her chest. "It really is useful! We're running with not a lot of information, especially about her."

"And you can pronounce her name," Suzuka added.

"She apparently taught me Sumerian, so why would her name be difficult?"

"Mathias-san. _How much_ do you remember about her and about today?"

He suddenly looked guilty, which did nothing to quell her returning alarm. She could feel Yuri tense behind her and Tiamat was slowly coiling up behind Suzuka. Inanna, however, didn't react to that, and instead soothed Hisako's dismay.

"Um, most of it? ...All of it?" Mathias said in a tiny voice.

"You remember the sister bitch approaching you?" Suzuka exclaimed and Tiamat's cloud rumbled. She ducked her head again, a blush rising on her cheeks, but kept her sharp expression.

"Please don't be upset with me," he pleaded, and yes, that was a great way to start off, "but I _may_ have been the one to offer a deal to her. She still found me! But when she started talking to me, it wasn't hard to figure out that she was wrapped up in all of this, and I just wanted to figure out what was going on _so badly_ —"

"She didn't even tempt you," Yuri ground out.

"That explains what he was saying," Suzuka agreed in a similarly flat tone.

"What do you mean, you wanted to find out what was going on?" Hisako asked, shooting the redhead a disapproving look at the way she crossed her arms.

Mathias averted his eyes, but he otherwise wasn't quailing under their combined staredown. "Don't I at least get some credit? You aren't as sneaky as you think you are, and Haruka has spent the past two months sending me every magical girl anime in existence. She called me the night Mika-san died, in tears, and had me up until three researching mythology and made me promise in two languages to keep an eye on you. She called me before her death had been announced."

"It isn't a stretch to say that any of us knew about Mika before the school announced it. We're friends. We have cell phones," Yuri replied coldly.

"Then why wouldn't she have told me about her death then? Why did she wait? Fine, I wasn't your best friend, but she made sure I was adopted by you all before she left."

"She was upset," Suzuka said, and her eyes found Hisako's, though she instantly looked away again at the question in them. The shorter girl groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Haruka was upset, and she freaked out. Fine, I'll back him there. But you don't go from being suspicious about someone's death to _this_."

"Do you know _how much_ research I did?"

"You don't go from weird behavior to thinking your classmates are waist-deep in magic and deities!" Yuri snapped.

"No. I didn't expect this exactly. But you were all acting weird, _consistently_ weird. Tired on Wednesdays, busy on Tuesdays, suddenly buddy-buddy with an upperclassman, and suddenly with a lot of spare money?" he challenged.

Yuri and Hisako turned to glare at Suzuka. "What?" she said and hunched her shoulders defensively. "I was trying to figure out what to buy Haruka and wanted a second opinion."

"The point is, you had strange behavior that I wanted explained, and I knew I couldn't outright ask you with how Haruka acted. So when a weird lady showed up and tried to make me promises, whose name I recognized, I leapt on that. I didn't need anything from her because I just wanted to know what the hell was going on." His voice was perfectly calm, expression firm, and aside from how he wouldn't meet her eyes, he seemed perfectly composed while admitting that he had been a willing victim.

"I see the AB blood type now," Suzuka whispered behind her hand.

Hisako let out a long sigh through her nose. Carefully, so she could maintain an even tone, she said, "You could have died. You knew Mika-chan died because of this. You could have _died_."

Mathias shrugged and Apsu mirrored the action with a sharp-toothed smirk. "I knew you could do it. And, to be frank, I didn't catch onto the fact that Ngeshtin-ana was hostile until it was a little too late."

"What part about crazy hair and red eyes and _horns_ didn't give that away?" Suzuka demanded.

"She didn't have horns at first, and what's wrong with red eyes? Inanna has red eyes."

"Inanna wears a blindfold," Hisako replied tiredly. The revelation had lost its shock value, and while she was still struggling to process it (and couldn't even begin to think about how to tackle it), she was crashing.

"Oh. Does she?" he asked curiously.

"No more Apsu talk about our Personas, that's creepy," Yuri said. With a sigh, he sunk down until he was sitting, and wasted no time in sprawling out on the damp floor. "Congratulations, Poirier, you're even more of a threat to my sanity than I'd thought earlier."

"Since when have I been a threat?" Mathias asked, affronted.

Yuri flapped a hand in Hisako's general direction. She kicked him as she sat down again, and rubbed at her leg. "We _will_ talk about your behavior once we're out of here," she told the other blond, as seriously as she could manage.

"Nap time!" Suzuka crowed and flopped onto her lap, ruining whatever seriousness she had going for herself. Hisako oofed at the sudden contact, but mercifully, she had missed her bad leg and most of her chest. She wriggled over until she could use Yuri as a pillow, too, half on each of them.

"This is ten kinds of uncomfortable," he complained.

"We're really going to sleep down here?" Mathias asked nervously.

"You probably don't realize how long the walk back is going to be. And I have no idea whatsoever how we're getting back up through that hole."

"There's stairs over there." He pointed out into the darkness in a seemingly random direction. Three heads raised to stare at him with varying levels of incredulity. "Radar," he reminded them with a hand pressed to his chest.

"We have never encountered a Persona with any sensing abilities, so please don't make it sound so simple," Hisako said, and was the first to lay back down.

"We're exhausted, dude. You didn't spend all this time fighting monsters and bad guys just to rescue someone who did it to themselves," Suzuka said. Tiamat vanished and she sighed happily.

"Um, technically—" Hisako began but both Yuri and Suzuka poked her, hard, and cut her off. "We're not mad at you for that," she told Mathias as she rubbed Suzuka's back in apology. "We're just… very tired."

"And stressed."

"And annoyed."

"And hurt!"

"And—"

"And this is how it's meant to go!" she exclaimed. "But since the floor is cleared of shadows, since we won here, it's safe now. For the moment. So yes, we're going to nap. Sorry. It's a long walk back."

She had meant for Mathias to sit or lay near them—so the floor wasn't the best choice, but they had backpacks for pillows and Hisako was already plenty warm with the shared body heat—but he circled around them instead. Apsu trailed behind him, moving like he was swimming through the air, and occasionally caught up to whisper more in his ear.

_Today has been unbelievable_ , she thought as she drifted off. Too bad he didn't want to cuddle; she wouldn't have minded his presence so bad with how tired she was.

-.-.-

For the second time that trip, Hisako awoke to Yuri leaning over into her field of vision. "'m up?" she groaned, swatting at him so he'd get out of her face. Already, she could tell the nap had been a bad idea. Her leg had stiffened up and felt like a giant, swollen bruise, and she herself felt unduly grumpy. She had the feeling she had Inanna to blame for a part of that. She squeezed her eyes shut again and willed herself to fall back asleep.

"Your boyfriend's missing."

The words took awhile to penetrate.

Hisako sat up, eyes still screwed shut, and grimaced at the pain in her chest. "...What." Her stomach growled, to add insult to injury.

"Poirier is missing and Sakuraba claws at me every time I try to get her up."

"Irkalla naps aren't the most restful," she said defensively, since she agreed with the general sentiment. "And what do you mean, he's _missing_?"

"There's not a lot here. I don't see him, do you?" he replied.

Her returning headache didn't want her to open her eyes yet. She'd take his word for it. "He's not that impulsive, is he?"

"You didn't give him your usual 'this is dangerous' speech. And he already has a pretty terrible track record for this sort of thing."

"He wouldn't be that bad. He's not stupid."

"His track record," he repeated for emphasis.

"I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not going to stand for that becoming a thing you hold against him."

"Why are you arguing with me over this?"

"It's not an argument yet."

"You're unusually grouchy and I don't want to deal with your PMS."

"I _don't_ have PMS!" Hisako snapped and opened one eye a slit to glare at him. She was in no mood for his own bad mood. Which was probably based on Enlil. "I'm tired, I'm hurt, I'm trying not to think about how we're getting out of here when you and I can hardly walk, and I _cannot_ think about Mathias-san willingly making a deal with Ngesh—Nugesh— _her_!" She had thought after hearing him pronounce it she would have had some luck.

"It looks like he has a useful Persona, but can we trust him?"

"Of _course_ I trust him! You should too! We know him better than—well, better than you and I knew each other at the start of this, and he hasn't done anything to us. He _wouldn't_."

"I'm not saying he would!" he hastily told her, and she stopped glaring at him in favor of letting her eyes shut again. "But he wasn't tempted by her, and he managed to panic our Personas. Things we should keep in mind." She wished her headache would let her glare at him again.

"Dumuzi's sister panicked our Personas. She just used him to do it."

"If he remembers everything, and if he can still speak the language, you don't think we should ask him for some clarifications?"

"We will, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't trust him. If he wants to, he can join us. We need more rangers for the team."

"...Did you just refer to us as—"

"I'm _tired_ , okay!" Hisako burst out in frustration.

"It's better than magical girls. And while I get you're tired, I do, and I can't wait to have several discussions with Poirier, let me just say that I'm very surprised you weren't off immediately since he is missing. Is still missing. Right now. Still."

"I doubt my abilities to move and Inanna is keeping me forcefully pacified. And now I've become aware of that. She's sneakier about her distrust of him—and now my headache is worse. How did we lose him, exactly?"

"We fell asleep. Not the best aftercare in the world, leader."

"You were the first one down," she muttered. It took an almost impossible amount of effort, but she made it to her feet, leaning heavily on her staff. She would have asked Inanna to carry her in other circumstances, but they faced a long walk back to the exit, and her Persona was already acting skittish in her head. Suzuka rolled over in her sleep, seeking a more comfortable sprawl. She let out a rather loud snore. "Suzuka-chan," Hisako said as she nudged her with her shoe, "We have to get going. Mathias-san is missing."

With a sleepy snort, Suzuka threw out an arm to cover her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she was pointing.

The other two followed it, just in time to see Mathias and Apsu reappear out of the gloom. Hisako basked in the relief that rolled over her; it was incredibly taxing to intellectually _know_ she should be panicking but having her emotions squashed by Inanna's to prevent it. Maybe she should have been more worried about that, but it took a backseat to Mathias. He and his Persona had their arms full, Apsu seemingly carried a bundle made by using Mathias' blazer as a bag, and they dropped them in front of a sleepy Suzuka, who had finally sat up.

"We come bearing gifts!" he chirped.

"Brace yourself," Suzuka said with a yawn.

"For—?"

"Don't you _ever_ go off on your own again!" Hisako exclaimed, irritated at the both of them. Suzuka didn't have to warn him—and didn't have to imply that her rightful anger needed a warning. "I'm sorry we didn't get the chance to discuss things earlier. That one was my fault. But I hadn't thought that you would wander off on your _own_!"

"You said you have a sensing Persona, right? Something tells me you're not particularly built for fighting," Yuri loyally added.

"The floor was cleared," Mathias replied meekly, head ducked, looking up at them with half-afraid puppy eyes. "And I wasn't tired. Apsu said there were things to find, helpful things."

"You'll get used to your Personas saying—not _saying_ , but they tend to make their opinions known. You don't have to go along with it."

"There were treasure chests."

Hisako felt her anger ebb away at the mention of loot. Yuri gave her a look for it before she said anything. "That said," she said as firmly as she could, "there are rules to the team dynamic down here. Um, if you're willing to join us, anyway."

"Of course I am! I just went through all of that shit to do so. I can be useful. It seems like a really dumb idea _not_ to use me," Mathias said.

"We'd never force anyone to come risk their life with giant people," Suzuka replied, still rubbing at her eyes. "So, what'd you bring us?"

"We're not done talking about this!"

The redheaded girl stopped digging through the items under the combined weight of Hisako and Yuri's disapproval. She muttered something like "no fun" before she sat back on her haunches again.

Hisako _really_ didn't like having to act like a disappointed, angry parent. Not to Suzuka, and definitely not to Mathias. But they had already messed up by letting him be alone, her patience was nearing a snapping point, and as much as she wanted to sink into a sleepy puddle again and wait out her headache and pain, she knew they had to get him on the same page as they were. They also had to figure out a way out of there.

"Apsu could tell that there was nothing else near me that could harm me. But I promise I won't leave you again, and I'll abide by all of the other rules for this team," Mathias said seriously. It reassured her.

"Rule one: don't venture off on your own, and _never_ come into Irkalla alone," Hisako started, one finger in the air.

"Fujihara's the only one who can get us out of here," Yuri explained.

"Rule two: I'm the leader, and you don't steal the leader's weapon," she continued with another finger up.

"You seem comfortable with that title when it suits you."

"Rule three: no sassing the leader."

"Question!" Mathias interrupted, hand in the air. She nodded at him, and he grinned as he asked, "Can I hold the leader's hand on the way back?"

Suzuka fell over laughing at how red Hisako turned.

To change the subject, and because Hisako was running out of concrete rules they'd come up with that weren't situation- or person-specific, they went through the items Mathias had brought back with him. He said he had cleared all of the floor, and that Apsu acted as a very good guide, and they certainly had enough items to back that claim.

When asked how he dealt with the water, he only gave them a blank look. "What water?"

She had noticed in the fight that the waterfall somehow didn't reach all the way down, and they couldn't hear it any longer, but she had chalked it up to normal weird Irkalla laws. It hadn't occurred to her that it would have drained away, but in hindsight, that made sense. And it made the trip back easier.

Most of the collected loot seemed to be odds and ends—some gems, a bunch of feathers, a dozen gold coins, several opalescent things that looked like scales, two vials of what she hoped was magic water, and a bundle of cloth. While she tried to cajole Yuri into trying some of the water, the other two dug through the small pile of clothes. Mathias triumphantly pulled out the biggest piece and pulled it over his shoulders; it turned out to be some sort of cloak. "I'm the white mage!" he announced with a beaming smile.

"You're the radar. If anything, _I'm_ the white mage," Yuri replied.

"Would this be too short for you? Here, try it on!"

Mathias chased Yuri with the cloak, giggling, and Hisako felt a surge of fondness for them both. "For all of his harsh words, he seems to be okay interacting with him," she commented. Suzuka, digging out gold coins amongst the rest of the loot, paused to nod.

"Matt-chan's a pretty easy guy to get along with. Even if this whole dungeon level came out of left field."

"We knew he was smart."

"Haruka is smart. Matt-chan's scary. Which is why I'm glad he's on our team!" Suzuka said happily and scooped up the gold to put into a side pocket on her backpack. "Man, Eiri-nii is gonna kill us for getting more gold. We should probably sit on this for awhile longer."

"It's already been a month," Hisako said.

"And he's _still_ trying to get rid of some of it. Collectors usually want just a couple, I guess, not two dozen coins," she said thoughtfully. "If we had a fire magic dude—who _wasn't_ your husband—we could try melting it down to sell ourselves."

"What good would that do?" Hisako asked as Mathias' head went up with a, "Husband?" (Yuri had the cloak half-thrown over his head and looked none too pleased about that.)

"You don't happen to have hidden fire magic, do you?" Suzuka called over.

"Nope, white mage!" Mathias returned to dig around in the other pieces of clothing he'd found. He startled when Apsu put his webbed hands over his eyes again. "I think I should be offended that you think a water god has agi skills. Apsu says he's just here for sensing and healing capabilities. He's not very offensively built. How quickly do you get used to the whole feeling-their-emotions thing?"

There was a long beat as his words registered. He pushed his Persona's hands up onto his hair, expression apprehensive. In a fairly decent chorus, the other three yelled, " _Healing_?!"

Apsu curled over Mathias and shook with silent laughter. "Well, yes, what else could I—"

"Heal," Yuri commanded. He limped over, cloak still draped over his shoulders, making him look strangely like Enlil.

The blond boy cringed away from his suddenly intimidating presence, although just as Hisako was wondering if she should intervene, he reached out and put his hands on Yuri's waist. Suzuka snorted into a fistful of gold coins. Before Yuri could squirm away, Apsu put his hands over Mathias', and they glowed briefly. Yuri suddenly looked much more alert and bounced on his heels experimentally.

"...And Enlil's still exhausted," he said and hung his head. Hisako mirrored the movement. So even their new healer's skills couldn't restore lost energy.

Mathias went over and crouched beside the girls and treasure pile with a smile. "Do I get to play doctor with you, too?"

"I'm pretty much okay to head back, so conserve your energy," Suzuka replied.

"I can handle three healing spells right now."

"There will be enemies on the way back. It's only your floor that's cleared of them," Hisako told him, and he frowned, just for a moment.

"Oh, I guess that's true. Still, shouldn't you be in top form?"

"Healers conserve their energy," Suzuka shot back. "We have to keep you in reserve to dig us out of shit later and especially now that Kikuchi's running on empty."

Mathias studied her for a moment, with that same sort of wide-eyed, blank stare he had used before. Hisako had just then pegged it as a look to be avoided when Apsu touched his wrist and with his other hand, Mathias clapped Suzuka on the back. She jerked forward and narrowed her eyes at him as she rose back up, looking significantly better than she had before.

"It's like a current," he said blithely, looking between the points of contact. He turned to Hisako with a grin and bright eyes. "Let's see if the hand contact is a necessary—mmph!" He had begun to lean in, only to have Apsu reach in, cover his face with his hand, and yank him backward.

It occurred to her then that he may have been leaning in for a kiss.

"I'm sure you must be excited to explore your Persona skills, but you can do it on the way back," she said in an admirably smooth tone. It didn't match the way her heart was thudding twice as fast as normal in her chest. "We've been here for a long time already and we're exhausted. If you'd please, just get me into walking condition…"

"Okay," he replied. He was blushing, maybe pouting, and put a hand on her uninjured leg, just below her knee. He was warm, but the surge of magic she felt was deliciously cool. It was nothing like Enlil's paint, which sat on the surface and sunk in; Apsu's healing was, for want of a better term, like water. It flowed fast and she could hardly feel it after the fact.

Hisako stretched out her leg, marveling at the healed skin and lack of stiffness. Suzuka snickered, but it took her a moment to realize that it was at Yuri's scowl. "Sorry, but I think he wins for white mage," she said.

"Let's just get going," Yuri replied sourly.

They rebundled their things, dividing up the weight from the new things between them, and set off. Mathias led them, even without Apsu actively guiding him, though he seemed just as lost as they were when he recalled his Persona. He stuck close to Hisako at first, alternating between shyness and earnest questions, but it wasn't long before he took the lead with Suzuka and their loud, exuberant conversations took over. Hisako was fine following them at Yuri's side.

They found the stairs to the upper part of the floor, and irritatingly, they weren't far from the set to the third floor. On the way up, Hisako caught Mathias to give him the updated safety talk. "There are a lot of types of monsters—shadows—that we'll see. We're going to avoid as many as we can, but your job is to _stay out_ of the combat. Suzuka-chan and I are the front lines, not you. Can you ice skate?"

"Did you just ask a Canadian if he can skate?"

"I… guess?" Hisako guessed.

"How else would I play hockey?"

"You play hockey?"

"Everyone plays hockey. I played in school."

"Enough about Canadian-ness!" Suzuka interrupted.

"But I haven't told you about my pet moose yet," Mathias replied, pouting.

"Do you really—"

"Hisako-chan, don't finish that question," Suzuka flatly told her. "Matt-chan, your job is not to get hit by things. Our job is to hit things. Use your pro skating to stay out of the way, but it's not like we'll be racing, not with _some_ people on the team."

"Hey!" Yuri exclaimed.

Mathias saluted. When they reached the top of the stairs, Hisako made them skates, ignoring the painful twinge with each spell. "Is this safe? Does this actually work?" Mathias asked as he tried to twist his leg around enough to get a look at the makeshift blade on his shoe.

"If you have skates, bring them down with you. But we don't have any yet, and it's not as if the sister bitch thought to grab some for you when she steered you down here," Suzuka replied.

"Ngeshtin-ana," he corrected.

They went back and forth, trying to teach her how to pronounce it, while Hisako silently pleaded with Inanna to keep giving her ice magic. It was getting to the point where her Persona was beginning to disapprove. But they had to get through Mika's portion as quickly as possible; she was sure she'd curl into a ball and just _cry_ if they had to spend too much time in the mirrored areas.

She kept her eyes down on the icy floor to try to minimize her headache. Suzuka would have to keep lookout for monsters, as much as it pained her to rely on her so much like that.

They were just passing the first of the gallery rooms when Mathias shouted, "There's something over there!" and darted into the left one. He stumbled and nearly face-planted when one of his skates chipped on the glass floor, but he made it to the framed mirror before anyone could catch him.

Hisako was almost certain she had a heart attack when he leaned into the frame like it was a window. He bent into it, disappearing from the waist up from view, and Suzuka wobbled off of the ice path with high-pitched worried noises. Mathias came back up, unscathed, an ornate crown in his hands, of all things.

Suzuka slapped him when she reached him. "Don't you _ever_ run off on your own like that again, dude!"

"She's one to talk," Yuri muttered.

When Suzuka dragged him back over, Hisako met him with folded arms and a severe expression. He set the crown on her head like an apology. "Do you think this is a game?" she asked.

"No, and I'm sorry. Apsu is more excitable than I'd anticipated—I don't mean to make an excuse. There's just a shit load of—a sensory overload? There's something down the hall. And there's more treasure behind you, but it must be behind some walls."

"What do you mean by 'something'?" Suzuka asked. Apsu's arms came down to encircle Mathias' shoulders and Hisako and Yuri took matching steps back to check down the hall. A doctor shuffled toward them, dragging a syringe nearly as big as it was.

"It's just a—"

"An acid surgeon," Mathias cut in.

Slowly, incredulously, Hisako and Yuri turned back to gape at him. "A what," Yuri said.

"It has a weakness to garu spells," he added. Apsu smirked at them over his head. "Doesn't seem very strong on its own, so they're probably prone to traveling in pairs or small groups, right? And—the hell is that?" His head snapped to the side. Hisako was starting to worry. "There are three smoldering hellhounds over there, but they must be behind a wall or two, and _way_ over down the way there's a big treasure chest, but there's a lot of—an entire field of rambling helianthus. Those are hard to fixate on, for some reason, but I think that's about the extent of Apsu's range over there—"

Hisako took his face in her hands and forced him to look back at her. "Mathias-san, either recall Apsu or narrow your, um, range down a bit. We're just going back, not clearing out everything on the floor. You can't be distracted and I'm not sure that's really all that good for you." Admittedly, the treasure chest had sounded tempting, especially if it was nearby, but if there were sunflowers in front of it, that was an automatic no.

Blood dribbled out of his nose. "No, I don't think it's good for me, either," he readily agreed and Hisako drew back, alarmed. Mathias wiped at his face and Apsu drew back from him, pouting like a toddler denied a toy. Before she could ask if he was okay, he sniffed, spat out blood, and announced with red teeth, "This floor might be smaller than the last one! The path looked pretty linear for the next bit, as far as I could tell, and we can get going again when you take care of our friend."

She had nearly forgotten about the doctor shadow. She and Yuri scrambled out of the way as it lunged at the group with its syringe held like a lance. Suzuka yanked Mathias back into the room and pushed him behind her.

"Hel- _lo_ nurse," Mathias remarked. He even whistled.

"Doctor. Just wait until you see the nurses," Suzuka shot back with a grin. Hisako knocked the syringe out of the shadow's hands with her staff, and the redhead pegged it in the neck and ribs with a pair of daggers. It collapsed into dark smoke and sludge, two knives and its syringe clattering to the ground in its wake.

Mathias leaned over Suzuka to eye the leftovers. (Yuri glared at Hisako until she made it clear she wasn't going to try to drag a giant syringe back with them.) "Shadows—is that Jungian? This seems more Freudian. I'm going to have a lot of reading on psychology—no, you are too, damn it, you get to deal with me if I have to deal with you," Mathias said, and it took Hisako a long moment to realize that he was arguing with his Persona.

"Dude, you okay?" Suzuka asked.

"How do you know that much about psychology?" Yuri suspiciously added.

"I helped my girlfriend study for her AP psych tests. Ex-girlfriend. Shadows and Personas—we are going to be up forever reading tonight," he replied and leaned backward to stare, wide-eyed, up at Apsu.

Hisako's train of thought ground to a halt. Suzuka turned around to face the blond behind her with annoyed disbelief.

"Ex," Mathias repeated without looking at them. "Today's still Friday, right? Finals are next week, but we could spare the time to look into this. Can Personas read?"

While Hisako tried to remember how to get her heart beating regularly again, Yuri edged around them and steered the other boy away. Apsu bared his teeth at him but he didn't let go. "I'm not sure how much of this sudden chattiness is the missing language barrier and how much is your Persona, but I don't like it. You're going to have an aneurysm and give the girls heart attacks," Yuri told him in a low voice.

"Your Persona is the most versatile, so you're alright soloing this without us, right?" Mathias blinked out of his empty staring and smiled up at Yuri. Yuri rolled his eyes as his response. "I figured it out."

" _Now_ what?"

Mathias grabbed Yuri's hand and entwined their fingers. "Buddy system!" Yuri looked down at their hands, displeased and scowling. "I need something—someone else—to ground me. With other things on this floor, it's very, eh, distracting to Apsu. Something like that. Touching someone else seems to narrow it down to something a lot more manageable."

"So why me?" Yuri asked, shooting a look over his shoulder at Hisako. She shrugged back at him; he didn't get to complain about them and then want it when it suited him.

"You're the weakest skater. You're in the reserve with me. Our gallant knights have to have the freedom to move as needed," he said brightly. Mathias lowered his voice and added something else, something that had Yuri tugging at his hand to free it. But he didn't let go.

"Should we intervene in this?" Suzuka whispered to her.

Hisako adjusted the crown on her head. "I'm tired of this all already. If he says it helps, let's try it. It's not like he didn't have good points."

"Okay, but in return—"

"Return for what?"

"—we have to have another sleepover this weekend. To study for finals and I'm calling girl code. We're going to have to talk about this," Suzuka said, gesturing to their new companion.

"Girl code?" Hisako repeated, a little confused about the concept and how it applied.

"Ooh, I'm calling bro code! Yuri- _chaaaan_ , do we get to have a sleepover too?" Mathias sang as he swung their hands.

"No! And don't call me that!"

"This is a private conversation! You weren't supposed to hear that. Jumping jellybeans, does the boy have super hearing, too?" Suzuka called back, annoyed.

"Is _that_ what you've been saying all this time?" he replied and burst into laughter.

"I think we need to get out of this labyrinth before exhaustion leads to hysterics," Hisako realized aloud.

"We need a traesto!"

"Even when he's translated, he still manages to be confusing as hell," Yuri said and finally broke free from his grasp. Mathias leapt after him, but it was a matter of seconds before the unfocused expression returned and he stumbled to a stop.

Yuri hurriedly grabbed his hand again, but Mathias still exclaimed, "There's a huge-ass knight shadow over there! We could reach it if we take the next two lefts instead of turning right and—"

Hisako had to take command back of the situation. She banged her staff on the floor for their attention, and then firmly announced, "We're going back. Now. In the straightest shot possible, so if you can help us navigate, do that. Suzuka-chan, game face on."

"In exchange for a sleepover," she pressed.

"Fine." It wasn't as if she wouldn't have gone anyway. Suzuka's sudden insistence was the only puzzling part. "Yuri-kun, for the time being, you are together with Mathias-san. Mathias-san, please stay on track. We need your help making this as fast and easy as possible."

The boys nodded and they were off. Inanna felt proud in her mind, but that soon left in favor of irritation for how hard she was pushing them. They weren't far into Mika's maze of glass and mirrors before Yuri tried to use the cloak as a leash for Mathias, and they had just barely hit the halfway point (according to said radar) when Inanna's magic gave up entirely and Hisako stumbled and fell as her skate hit mirror instead of ice.

Mathias tried to heal her, but she wasn't injured. She was just _exhausted_. She stubbornly insisted on walking the rest of the way rather than waste their last vial of magic water, even if the reflective surfaces were giving her the world's worst migraine. She noticed that half the time, Mathias was walking with his eyes closed, too. Suzuka kept her head down. Only Yuri seemed unaffected.

They reached the stairs just to hear thunder rumbling from above. She was going to give up if they were expected to walk back in a thunderstorm. Suzuka had gone white as a sheet, and she actually had to nudge her none too gently before she'd start walking again.

The second floor was not rainy. But there was thunder and lightning, as well as gusting wind, churning within the passageways of the maze. Twice the wind managed to push someone over, and once it blew an eel into Hisako's face, causing a scream she would forever deny being that high-pitched. But they made it to and through the shortcut, and then up to the next set of stairs. It started pouring rain the moment they were out of the way.

"Thank you," Hisako said sincerely. Suzuka grinned, cheeks a little pink.

"I think you broke my hand," Mathias commented.

"Oh my god I'm so—"

"It's okay, I'm the white mage."

It took the time until they reached the top of the stairs for Yuri to stop blushing.

Mathias seemed very interested in why the gallery layout mirrored the third floor's, but they dragged him along with their arrows. Hisako only managed to convince him to recall Apsu about halfway through the floor. Suzuka, running on her excitement to be almost done, took care of the shadows they encountered by herself, and joyously at that.

When they reached the open area at the beginning of Irkalla, Hisako fell to her knees in sheer relief. She curled up and ignored her complaining feet and the way her brain burned for using too much magic. "What the _hell_ is that thing?!" Mathias yelped and there was a thump as he managed to unbalance Yuri as he went over to investigate.

"Apsu," Nergal said with clear shock in his voice. Hisako rolled onto her side to watch. The lion-headed man looked (almost) more uncomfortable than Yuri when it came to Mathias' attention. "Ah, Tiamat, you must be overjoyed."

"This is Nergal," Suzuka said, still on her feet for some ungodly reason. "He's the sort of useless gatekeeper of this place."

"That was uncalled for," he replied, tail lashing behind him.

"Well, Dumuzi's sister managed to get in with _another_ one of our friends—"

"And yet it still seems to become a boon for you," Nergal replied thinly.

Suzuka clenched her fists—Hisako worried briefly that she would actually try to fight him—but Nergal shied back with an agitated flap of his wings. Mathias literally jumped in between them. "You're a—you're not a shadow, so what _are_ you?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed one of Suzuka's daggers, earning a shout from her. Apsu appeared in a flash behind him. Nergal didn't bat an eye.

Mathias leaned up into his space, or as well as he could, considering he barely came up to the bottom of Nergal's ribcage. Apsu circled them both, swimming lazily through the air, all four eyes narrowed to slits.

"Mathias-san, he's a god. Probably," Hisako said wearily.

"You okay there?" Yuri asked, though he was seated firmly on the floor, too.

"Oh, you may have to drag me the rest of the way out of here, but I'm doing good otherwise. How did that watch work out for you?"

"I never figured out if it was closer to double or tripling it."

"Do I want to know?" she asked. She already knew she didn't really.

"Let's just say it's solidly in the twenties with a conservative guess."

Hisako groaned into her arms.

"Apsu, I do not mean you any harm," Nergal said nervously. Suzuka sighed and finally took pity on him. She clapped her hands over Mathias' face and dragged him away from the deity. "Ngeshtin-ana knows not what she has done, to bring both of you against her."

"Hear that, Matt-chan? We're a force to be reckoned with."

"Let's just leave. Poirier, turn off the creepy Persona and we'll shuffle on out of here like the zombies we're slowly becoming," Yuri announced and Hisako nodded in leaderly agreement.

They somehow managed to make it across the last, large area to their stash. They dumped their things in a pile, didn't bother to change, and just grabbed their uniforms. Knowing the exit was so near only made her feel more tired, which she hadn't thought possible.

" _Christ, I am going to miss the translation_ ," Mathias said sadly. "But it will be nice to have in the future. Is there anything else I should research tonight?"

Yuri let out a humorless laugh. "You're not going to be doing much reading tonight," Hisako said gently. "You're probably going to wind up in the hospital."

"What?"

"To deal with your body suddenly spawning a giant person—or creature, in our case—it goes through a purge. Basically, prepare to get sick and sleep for fourteen hours," Suzuka said casually.

"I feel like I'm going to do that anyway. How can you still have so much energy?" Hisako asked and ran a hand over her face.

"I can't get hospitalized," Mathias whispered, and he came to a stop on the stairs. "I can't miss school."

"It'll be one day, and you have that exchange student insurance or whatever, right?" Suzuka replied.

"Finals are next week! There are reviews, and I have to read about psychology, and what am I going to tell Haruka's parents?"

"You collapsed due to stress. Or heat stroke. We've been vague on the details," Yuri said. "Stress doesn't sound far off for you."

"I don't get stressed! Not enough to get sick," he replied, wrapping his arms around himself. Worryingly, he took a step back down the stairs.

"We'll talk about your complex and study habits later," Suzuka said, "but there's no way to avoid this part. You have a Persona now. Your body changed."

"You did ask for this," Yuri said unhelpfully.

Hisako smacked him with her uniform's shirt. "Suzuka-chan's right. There's no way to avoid this, not that we know of. But she can talk to Haruka-chan's parents, and we'll take plenty of notes for you tomorrow. We'll even have a study date to catch you up."

Mathias eased into a smile, though there was still tension in his expression. "I guess I _did_ ask for this," he agreed and they finally left Irkalla.

In the sunlight and fresh air, and without Inanna's presence suppressing her emotions, Hisako suddenly felt retroactively upset over everything. She wasn't sure if it was the pounding headache or sheer feelings that caused her to burst into tears. Yuri jumped at the noise as though scalded.

Hisako threw her arms around Mathias with half a sob. Mathias collapsed in her arms in a dead faint.

"I see this relationship going far," Suzuka proudly announced.

-.-.-

Knowledge: ★★★★☆ (+2)  
-Egghead

Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (+5)  
-Stubborn

Charm: ★★☆☆☆ (+0)  
-Affable

Empathy: ★★★☆☆ (+2)  
-Commiserative

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( did i cry at seeing a painter in the new p5 trailer? probably! how much more will atlus take from me 
> 
> even if persona 5 has _hella_ similarities with ptf, ptf will still continue. i have timestamps on this. I WAS HERE FIRST but also please note that no matter what p5 gives us, nothing in this story will be changed (aside from names, if they are taken by canon p5 characters, unless the character has already appeared in ptf by the time the game rolls out). so if there are similarities? it means i called this years ago when planning this story and i'm probably laughing/sobbing hysterically in a corner somewhere
> 
> thank you for bearing with me and this story ))


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